Supernatural Drabbles
by sakurademonalchemist
Summary: Since I don't want to post new stories, I've decided to start a Supernatural Drabbles seeing as how my addiction to the series won't go away anytime soon. This should hopefully clear some space for the updates you all crave. Will be rated high for language, among other things.
1. Castielle Chapter One

_**Castiel is Hebrew for 'Shield of God'. I found it by accident while looking through Wikipedia recently...and a plot bunny was born.**_

* * *

It was all over. Lucifer had won, all because Heaven wanted to end the war between the two arch angels and damn the consequences. Through it all, he had tried to keep his faith in humanity right until the end.

But Castiel had lost faith in himself a long time ago. Turning to drugs didn't work, but it dulled the pain of his wings. Turning to alcohol was useless, but it stopped him from remembering the pain of being banned from Heaven by Micheal. And carnal pleasure hadn't interested him since he learned Dean no longer wanted anything to do with him.

He had tried. And for so long he had held out hope that maybe things would work out. That maybe Dean would learn from his mistakes...instead he became his father and shut everyone who tried to help him out.

So Castiel waited. Waited for the end of everything so he wouldn't have to feel anymore.

And when Lucifer came to the camp, wearing Sam's face, his heart wept for humanity. How could this have all ended? Why did Micheal insist on forcing the battle between the brothers and start the end of the very creations their Father had loved most of all?

Castiel was to be the last to die, an example for what Lucifer would bring upon the heavenly plains all because of Micheal's arrogance.

He found himself chained beside the Prophet, who had ceased to get anything. All he saw was darkness now.

Chuck coughed.

"After all that they went through, it ends like this?" he said.

"It could be worse."

"How?" asked Chuck. How could anything be worse than this?

"I could be sent to hell instead of being condemned to nonexistence."

"How is that better?" asked Chuck baffled.

"I said it could be worse. I never said it couldn't be worse for you. At least I won't have to deal with this anymore," said Castiel bitterly.

"How is nonexistence better than hell?"

"Because in the event I die, I get erased permanently. If that doesn't happen I'll be stuck for eternity on Earth after Lucifer's done with it and forced to see my failures every day until the end of time," said Castiel flatly.

"Hey Cas... if you could change things back when there was still hope, would you?"

"You mean stop the angels from succeeding in letting him out? I haven't got that kind of power, and even if I did still have the ability it wouldn't work. The same soul can't exist in the same time twice for more than half an hour at most. There's a reason why time-travel is restricted without the approval of a higher angel."

"If you could go back and changes things, would you?"

Castiel looked around him. This wasn't what he had fought for as a soldier and it was all Micheal's fault for starting this war. A war that the angels lost. He had only made a temporary solution when he sealed off heaven...Lucifer would eventually break in and lay waste to all of creation.

So the idea of changing things? Righting the wrongs committed by his brothers? If he had the power and could get away with it, he would have done it years ago. Long before Zachariah dumped Dean's past self in this timeline in fact.

"If I had the ability to stop this... I would do it without hesitation. This wasn't what our Father intended when he created us. He never wanted the angels to start the very thing they should have prevented by dealing with the demons," said Castiel finally. Chuck was soon to die. He was next in line for the racks.

"Do you still believe in your creator?"

"After all the pain I've gone through... I still believe. It's heaven I have doubts in," admitted Castiel.

"That's all I needed to hear," said Chuck, sounding much stronger than he should have.

Castiel blinked and turned. Time had frozen all around them. Lucifer was paused in mid gloat. He looked, and really looked at Chuck.

"Who are you?"

"_I'm sorry I couldn't stop this. Because humanity always had the chance to end this war before it started, my hands were tied. Free will is the gift to all creatures, and it was free will that forced my hand. But the others have gone too far, and I'm not about to let the end of all things be caused by my own sons. I can give you three gifts, Castiel. But it's up to you how you use them."_

"Father?" whispered Castiel. He had been so close to his creator and never known. He felt like a fool.

"_Do you truly wish to stop your brothers from ruining existence? I can only give you one chance, but I refuse to let humanity end because of arrogance."_

Castiel felt the tears fall from his face. He had long since given up being an angel, he was more human than that.

"I don't want this to end because of heaven. I always had faith that humanity should have the chance to be safe from this. Why, why couldn't you have told me about this yourself?" said Castiel, his voice breaking as he almost shouted.

"_I told you. Free will tied my hand. There is one chance to make things right, but only if you're willing to fight for it."_

"What do I have to do?"

"_Stop the others from tearing the brothers apart."_

"Any other impossible tasks you want completed?" asked Castiel bitterly.

God held Castiel's chin in his hand.

"_I brought you back once for a reason. Because I believed you might be able to save the Winchesters from themselves and those that sought to use their bloodline to end the world. But you're the only one left, Castiel. You have to make this choice on your own."_

"Free will huh? If all it took was free will to rebel against heaven and save them, then I will live up to that hope. Just don't expect me to be a perfect little soldier anymore," said Castiel bitterly.

"_All I ask is that you live up to your name. Castiel, the Shield of God."_

Castiel laughed bitterly. If he was a shield, then he must be dented and broken almost beyond repair.

"_Remember Castiel this is the only chance I can give you. I refuse to let Lucifer's hissy fit end everything."_

God put a hand on Castiel's shoulder, and he felt something inside of him change. He was openly sobbing when he felt his Grace return and his wings healed. He was so relieved to be whole again that he failed to notice the other changes his Father was putting him through.

When he was done, God snapped his fingers in the silence around them.

Castiel felt himself falling through time and space...before he blacked out completely.

* * *

The first thing Castiel noticed was the voices. Just being able to hear them at all would have made any angel weep after what he had just left. Opening his eyes, he noticed his center of gravity had shifted dramatically.

He was in the same clothing he had worn almost constantly when humanity still had a chance. Getting up, he decided to see where and when he was.

That is until he passed by a store with a window that showed his body to him, and did a ten second standstill.

He wasn't a he anymore. The body that Castiel inhabited now was most definitely female in every way, shape and form. He...she had breasts for crying out loud. (Further inspection in a bathroom revealed she had _all_ the equipment, not that she had ever gotten the point of caring for that part to begin with. Angels were asexual originally.)

This...presented a small issue. Castiel was no stranger to the way women were treated differently, despite the fact that one of his commanders had a preference for the female forms.

Women were generally weaker in the muscle mass compared to the males. The also tended to be more hormonal during times of the month, and had the ability conceive life despite all odds.

Castiel looked at herself from a small cafe after stealing someone else's wallet to pay for her drink. Living as a human without any hope had adjusted her morals. She had no issues with theft. Especially from some idiot stock broker who had a contract.

Realizing that there was no real way she could fight without knowing the limits of her body, she decided to find a place to learn hand-to-hand so she could get used to this new form.

* * *

Castielle (she had decided to change her name slightly to avoid picking up on any prayers or orders directed to her) walked into the college tiredly.

She had been picking up hints of Grace heading towards this area for over a week, and despite having finally gotten used to her new body (and picking up a new fighting style in the process) she was not looking forward to this. At all.

She had already figured out when she was... it was about a year after Dean brought Sam back from his only successful attempt at being a civilian. Which meant she had time. Time she wasn't going to squander.

That also meant she needed information, and who better than the very bastards who started this entire mess to begin with? So she went angel hunting.

Whoever she was looking for was good. Clearly they had been on Earth for quite some time to figure out how to hide their presence, or disguised as something else. But they were careless. They couldn't hide all the signs, and whoever this was was high up enough on the angelic food chain that she might get some decent information. Enough to possibly work with.

The problem was that she had to wait. Fortunately there was a library here, and so long as she never checked anything out they wouldn't know she didn't belong.

A few weeks in, and she was finally up-to-date with popular culture enough to make sense of some of the things Dean had always talked about before the day he gave up on Sam. Though she still had plenty to research.

She closed her current book, felt the crick in her back, and decided to head to the bar.

About halfway there she caught the sensation of angel Grace, almost hidden but still there. She looked around until she spotted a man who hadn't been on campus the day before pretending to be the janitor.

Clever. No one looked twice at the people who cleaned the place. Now she just had to corner him in an area that the cops wouldn't be called into.

* * *

Castielle waited until night, when the school was practically emptied out. She hid her presence until the man was alone. Then she slammed him into the stone wall with perverse glee.

"OOF! What the hell?" he complained. He noticed the breasts on his back and then quipped, "If this is your idea of showing interest sweetheart, you ain't gonna get many boyfriends. Unless they're masochists."

Castielle's eyes narrowed and she made sure that the blade in her hand was firmly at the base of the spine. Judging by the rising power level from this jerk, she had caught someone very important indeed. Possibly a seraphim.

"Shut up. Who's your garrison commander, seraph?" she growled.

She sensed his alarm at being caught out for what he really was, but his chuckle caught her off guard.

"Wrong choir sweetheart," he quipped.

His power was too strong for anything lower than a seraph... her eyes widened. There was only one angel that powerful who had gone missing.

"Gabriel."

If he had been surprised before, he was floored that she had figured it out so fast.

"Got it in one. So what are you and how in heaven did you get your hands on an angel's blade?" he asked. It was hard _not_ to recognize that power on his back.

She let him up and he finally got a good look at her face. He didn't recognize her offhand, but he recognized the blade.

"No way. You possessed a _girl?_" he said in open amusement.

"Shut the hell up _coward," _she growled, "I didn't chose this form. It was altered so I could exist twice."

"What did you call me brat?" said Gabriel pissed. He wasn't letting some no-name foot soldier get away with that brazen attitude.

Castielle glared at him full force, and something in her eyes made him flinch. This wasn't one of Micheal's garrison soldiers anymore...this was someone who didn't have anything left to lose.

"Let's get one thing straight coward. I don't give a damn about the fact you're in hiding from above and below. I don't care if you draw every hunter within fifty miles pissing people off. I'm just here to insure that the planet doesn't get destroyed because heaven just _had_ to have the fight between the morons who spew bullshit with every word," said Castielle bitterly.

Gabriel stared. Since when do foot soldiers openly insult Micheal?!

"And lets not forget the idiot who had the world's biggest hissy fit all because Father loved the humans more than us. We had one simple fucking order, to love and protect humanity...and the idiots can't even do that right!"

"Who are you? I've never heard an angel openly insult Mikey, let alone speak against heaven like that."

"My name is Castielle, Messenger, and our Father sent me back to insure Lucifer doesn't win twice."

* * *

Gabriel all but crashed on his couch that night.

He had been hoping to avoid dealing with heaven since he left, but being confronted with the cold hard fact that if he didn't do something Lucifer would not only get free, but win had been a slap in the face.

Castielle (and he had been slightly amused that the mindless foot soldier had fully embraced humanity and his new feminine form enough to take on an altered version of her true name) had been blunt and entirely too angry over the fact Micheal had ruined everything all because he wanted to get the fight between him and Lucifer out of the way.

Though Gabriel had no idea why Cassie was still hanging around after she found out who he was and how he had been hiding. He had already given her his cell phone number, so what was keeping her here?

He got his answer when he saw who had come to hunt the 'Trickster' persona he had adopted.

The Winchesters.

Castielle admitted her primary mission was to keep heaven from splitting the brothers apart.

According to her, everything went to hell rather fast when Dean had enough of Sam drinking demon's blood despite the fact it was Zachariah's fault for letting him out to go seek Ruby.

However that confusion cleared up rather quickly when he went to the bar to observe the idiot duo.

Seeing how Castielle focused almost entirely on Dean, it didn't take a scientist to figure out that the angel had a deep crush on the older Winchester. One that hadn't gone anywhere from the look of pain on her face.

No wonder she had been picked.


	2. Castielle Chapter Two

Castielle followed Sam almost compulsively the second she had found the Winchesters. Mostly because she had just seen a demon go inside the man and frankly Sam was bad enough hopped up on demon's blood. She didn't want to see how bad he was possessed of all things.

Knocking him out was ridiculously easy. Especially since the demon wasn't thinking to check for a drugged alcohol went it went into the store.

"Sorry about this idiot. I've been trying to get him back into rehab for months," she said apologetically to the clerk. She paid for the damage and dragged his sorry oversized ass to the first hotel, going by the name Mary Winchester.

If that didn't get Dean's attention when he came looking for his brother, nothing would.

Castielle looked annoyed when she saw the mark which would make exorcism impossible. So she used a bit of Grace to smite the demon and not the human instead.

* * *

Sam woke up with a groan of pain about an hour later, when he regained consciousness that is.

The first thing he saw was a rather pretty brunette with the most intense blue eyes he had ever seen watching him from inside a devil trap. He wasn't tied down anymore, but he could see where a burn had been from when Meg had placed some weird mark on his arm.

"Who are you?"

"Call me Castielle. You're lucky I noticed the odd behavior otherwise you'd still be possessed."

"Thanks. How did you get rid of her anyway?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Not now anyway. Call your brother Sam, and whatever you do, don't trust a demon when they say they remember being human. Demons always want something."

Sam stared at her in shock. How did she know his name?

She left the room, and when he went to follow she was nowhere to be found.

Who was she?

* * *

Dean pinched the bridge of his nose.

"So let me get this straight. This girl came in and saved you from demon possession, uses our _mother's _name as a cover, and then leaves without a trace?" said Dean.

"I'm pretty sure I've seen her before too. Back when we were hunting Loki," said Sam.

It had bothered him so much that he had to really focus on where he had seen such intense blue eyes before.

She had been watching Dean the entire time at the bar while they were hunting down information, though she left after the second teacher died. Sam had only seen her once, but those eyes were hard to forget.

"Dammit Sammy. I don't like this. It reeks of a set-up," complained Dean.

Everything about this stunk. The girl not only got rid of the demon, but already knew who Sam was and even used their mother's name? It just didn't feel right at all.

Still, she had done them a favor. She had saved Sam after all.

* * *

Dean ran into the mystery woman himself shortly after Sam went missing. Again. He had his gun on her, but something about her set him entirely on ease. Like he could spill everything to her and she wouldn't care.

"What the hell are you?"

"Nothing you've dealt with yet, Dean. If you wish to find your brother, he's currently being held captive by Azazel of the Yellow Eyes in Cold Oaks. Fair warning though, there are at least two other psychics there as well, most of them with powers far above Sam's at this point."

"Who are you?" asked Dean. Those eyes...it was like he was drowning in them. He felt he could trust her and he didn't know why.

"Call me Castielle," she said simply. She ducked behind a nearby tree and he heard the sound of large wings. He went to find her, only to discover her missing.

Who was Castielle?

Still, the tip was more than he had to work on for hours, and it wasn't like there was a big sign saying this way to his brother.

* * *

Bobby was not happy. He expressed this very clearly at least three times when he heard _how_ Dean had gotten the information.

"A woman walked up to you and point blank said where Sam was. Are you a damn idjit?!" said Bobby. Again. He would swear Dean thought with his second head more than he should.

"Let's face it Bobby, we haven't got a damn clue where else to look. And she gave me that name," said Dean.

Bobby had looked up the demon Azazel, and he had been very surprised to learn that particular demon was high up enough to cause problems and had the same shade of yellow eyes as the demon the Winchesters had been chasing for years.

Dean was about to reply to this when he had a sudden migraine. He saw a vision of an oak tree in metal.

Suddenly the tip on where to find Sam had a hell of a lot more credit.

* * *

Gabriel watched the Winchesters from a mirror he had enchanted to keep an eye on the muttonheads.

He found Castielle a breathe of fresh air after dealing with the stuffiness of heaven.

The woman was more likely to flip him off or throw something sharp and preferably pointy on more than one end if he ordered to do anything. And the inventive curses she knew... he still got the giggles imagining the boring Castiel cursing worse than any sailor he had ever met.

Then again, this was an angel who admitted to having an actual drug and alcohol addiction before their Father dumped her into a woman's body and forcefully cleaned out her system.

Gabriel wouldn't have cared normally, but he had gotten one simple message from dear old Dad about Castielle since the two were pretty much stuck with each other.

_Keep her from delving too deep into humanity's dark side or else I will turn every sugary food within your reach into the most foul thing imaginable for next thousand years Gabriel._

Dad always did have the worst ability to hold a grudge and he wouldn't doubt that God would steal his sugary goodness. He had done it once, and Gabriel was in no mood for a repeat.

Besides, Castielle was fairly amusing once she knew after he saw even a small amount of what happened if he didn't do something if he stood by and watched, that he would help. And if that meant letting her crash in his sub-space pad, then by all means, she could crash with him.

Not to mention the fact that despite having a woman's body, she was still very much a socially-awkward angel who had fallen far too deeply into the less pleasant aspects of humanity...and still had the mindset of a man. Which meant she occasionally went topless around Gabriel's house when he deliberately turned the heat up and didn't understand the simple concept of a bra, to his delight.

He wondered how Dean would react if she actually managed to catch him this time, since from what he had seen the angel had a major one-sided man-crush on the guy until he turned into another version of his father John.

* * *

Dean barely stopped the soldier from killing Sam, shooting him in the shoulder and just missing his brother. Sam looked at him with surprise.

Jake, the soldier, fully looked like he was going to get up and try again, but Bobby had his sorry ass pinned.

"How did you get here so fast?"

"The girl who saved your ass paid me a visit and all but said where to find you...and get this, she knew the demon's name!"

Sam's jaw dropped.

"She _knew_ his real name?"

Dean nodded. That had floored him too when he found out she was telling him the truth. At least now they had a proper name for the prick who had ruined their lives.

"What the hell does this woman look like anyway?"

Sam was about to reply to Bobby's question when he heard something he really didn't want to mess with again.

The baying of hellhounds.

Dean shared a look with his brother, both of them not looking forward to this because dammit they didn't have the Colt and couldn't see the stupid things! They were all going to be ripped to shreds and it was all the demon's fault!

"Well don't you muttonheads look happy?" said a familiar and most unwelcome voice.

It was the Trickster.

"Didn't we kill you already?"

"One, that was an illusion the entire time. Two, do I look like I enjoy being stabbed? Three, I am way about whatever pay-grade you morons use to begin with, not to mention that the whole stake thing was a joke I came up with so the others could throw Hunters off their ass and they could move on," listed Loki in a deadpan voice.

He suddenly winced as someone came up from behind and slapped him on the back of the head. It wasn't a gentle one either.

"Back off Loki. The last thing I want to deal with is them trying to shoot you for being a smart ass, not that there's much difference between you and the Winchesters to begin with," said the mystery woman. Castielle if Dean remembered right.

Bobby snorted, because he fully agreed with that sentiment.

"Come on Cassie! How long am I going to be able to screw with their heads when they finally find out who I actually am?" whined Loki.

So they knew each other?

"One, my name is Castielle not Cassie. If you must mangle my name then for Father's sake call me Cas. Two, you know how I feel about your pranks when they're directed at people who don't actually deserve a smiting. And three, I would like to deal with those hellhounds before Azazel figures out what we really are," deadpanned Castielle. Dean was liking her more and more already.

"Yeah...speaking of hounds..." said Loki with a shifty expression.

Castielle had a very annoyed look on her face. It made her, in Dean's opinion, decidedly cuter than she had been before.

Dean heard the hellhounds, though he couldn't see them.

Jake, the idiot, used it as a distraction to run far from the Winchesters.

He didn't make ten feet before he was ripped to shreds.

Dean made an unconscious move closer to Castielle. Only she noticed.

"Loki," said Castielle.

"Yeah, I got this. Max! Bones!" he called out into the darkness.

A small terrier and a large golden Labrador appeared and sat obediently next to him. Loki petted them both and noted with some amusement that Sam perked up at the sight of dogs.

"Sick 'em," said Loki.

And suddenly the two weren't so cute and cuddly as they proceeded to rip apart the other hellhounds. Castielle gave Loki a very odd look.

"Why do you have half-breeds?"

"Won them off of Crowley," explained Loki.

And boy, had that demon been pissed losing his prized hell hound to Loki of all people in a game of what Loki had originally assumed was strip poker. He had adapted quickly when he learned it wasn't.

Crowley had been even more angry when he found out Loki hadn't kept his hound locked up during heat and she had gotten pregnant with Fenrir's pups. (He had visited his father and taken advantage of the situation.)

Crowley got his hound back, but the two pups that had the majority of Fenrir's blood had been given immediately to Loki because they refused to listen to Crowley.

Hence why the fake Trickster now had a pair of traveling companions he never wanted to get rid of.

Castielle looked resigned more than anything, like she had given up trying to make sense of the world. She even petted the little terrier half-breed when it ran up to her with it's skimpy little legs.

Bones, the bigger one, barked and immediately went to Sam instead. He scratched the dog's ear with obvious enjoyment. Loki looked rather pleased about that actually.

* * *

They were all at the Salvage yard, mostly because Castielle knew for a fact Azazel still wanted Sam to open the devil's gate.

"So who or what are you two?" asked Bobby. They weren't affected by holy water, silver, iron or any trap he had on hand. They were human, mostly but he knew for a fact that they couldn't be witches. Their annoyance at being compared to one had been telling enough.

"My name is Castielle, and at the moment he is hiding as Loki. The dogs are Max and Bones," said Castielle in her rather dry tone.

"Hiding as Loki?" repeated Sam. Bones had his head in the taller man's lap, and it was clear he didn't care one bit.

"Long story, one I hope we don't have to deal with later. We are not your enemies, and frankly I could care less if you trusted us," said Castielle flatly.

Which paradoxically, made them trust them more. Humans were strange.

"Needless to say we're one of the few things even demons wouldn't be stupid enough to cross. Particularly if Loki was in another one of his moods."

Sam, ever the smart one, was starting to put two and two together. Loki knew it was only a matter of time before he came up with four. Castielle was practically giving him clues.

* * *

It hurt. Like being stabbed in the stomach with a red-hot blade hurt.

Somehow the demon still got to Sam, though at least this time the gate stayed closed because Crowley hated Azazel more than the Winchesters did and refused to give any of his contracts so he could blackmail some poor bastard into opening the gate for him.

Sam died, and Castielle was helpless as she went with Dean to summon the demon and bring him back. Loki was more than a little angry too. Perhaps it was the shared love of all things canine (not hell hounds, but still canines), but Loki was somewhat partial to the Moose as he affectionately called him.

She did take a bit of vindictive pleasure in stabbing the demon almost immediately though. Not that Dean commented on it. Really.

Gabriel watched the interaction with Dean and Castielle with open amusement. He had popcorn, for crying out loud.

"Are they still at it?" asked Sam.

"You mean that weird staring thing? Yup," said a very amused arch-angel-turned-pagan.

Castielle and Dean had this bizarre ritual of staring at each other for almost hours at a time, only broken by the need to blink. It was clear the two had a thing for each other, anyone with eyes and common sense could see it, but there was this weird reluctance between the two to just get at it.

The last ghost they had hunted had almost burned himself just to get away from it! (Or so Sam claimed.)

"How long do you think they can keep this up?" asked Sam.

"Don't know. Cas always was a rather dim one. How about a bet though?"

"What kind of bet?"

"On who jumps who first."

"I'm game. What are the stakes?" asked Sam immediately.

"I win, you go out on a date with me. You win, you get one freebie from me," said Gabriel.

Sam choked. Then again, it was a harmless enough bet. Loki was surprisingly easy to be around once you got over the whole Trickster thing and they both loved dogs. He could have a long conversation about dogs if he had to.

"Fair enough, I bet Dean makes the first real move," said Sam finally.

"I'll place my bets on Cassie," said Loki. And they shook on it.

Loki ducked as Castielle threw a cup at him.

"For the last time my name is NOT Cassie!"

"How could she hear you?" asked Sam in open amusement.

"I don't know how, but she _always_ knows when I call her Cassie," said Loki, dodging another cup. He found it funny to rile her up.


	3. Full Metal Hunter Chapter One

Dean and Sam were halfway to Michigan when something nearly broke through the windshield.

Upset at the near attack on his _baby,_ Dean exited the car with his gun drawn.

He immediately holstered it when he realized that the one who crashed into them was just a _kid_.

He was pale, likely from blood loss, his blond hair half out of the odd braid he had it in, and he had multiple cuts. Looking at the odd drawings on his right arm and half his torso, they were quick to get him to Bobby's, as they weren't entirely sure that he wasn't a witch.

* * *

"He just crashed right into you?"

"Out of nowhere Bobby!" emphasized Dean. Sam nodded beside him.

"Well aside from losing a lot of blood, and not from being hit by your car, and the fact his left leg and right arm are made of _metal_ of all things, not to mention the odd drawings on his skin, he's in good condition."

"Did you say his arm and leg are made of metal?" said Dean incredulous.

"Completely made of metal. And judging by the plates on both limbs I'd say the kid's a double amputee."

There was a low groan from upstairs and Bobby went up first. Sam and Dean would listen from outside.

Bobby asked the kid questions, even though he had given him the holy water/silver/iron test the kid checked out. He had no idea how he ended up in _America _and he spoke with a slight accent. It took Sam ages to recognize it as a subtle German one.

For the next week the kid stayed around Bobby's, by which time the brothers had already left having been assured that the teen wasn't a witch in any shape or form. Hell, the kid couldn't believe that they expected him to acknowledge_ magic_ was real.

Edward Elric, the Full Metal Alchemist, was in a parallel world, one where his damn father never existed except as history. Ancient history that is.

Dean, the older sibling, had taken to calling him Rick because apparently Edward Elric was a fictional character in this world...one out of a comic book with the same title he once had as a state alchemist.

Needless to say he was shocked that his life story was a fantasy story for countless millions of fans. He was rather quick to dye his gold blond hair a similar shade of brown to Bobby's once he found that out.

Bobby Singer was a man he grew to like, as an uncle of sorts anyway. He had a no nonsense attitude and he knew what he was doing. The one time he took Ed on a 'hunt', Ed had learned the finer points of dealing with a werewolf.

That poor bastard had been shocked as hell to find that Ed's arm was metal, and that he had no issue punching his lights out.

After that Ed turned his sharp mind towards learning how to become a hunter. His alchemy had reverted to the same level as when he was a child, which meant he would have to relearn his old pathways before he could use it instinctively like he did in his world.

At least he could call on his armblade without the circle. That would have been pure hell if he had to carve the damn circle out on the plates. Another thing he test was his second favorite weapon, a pole with a blade. Thanks to Bobby he got used to making the blade out of silver and the pole out of iron.

Bobby seemed to like him well enough, once he got over the alchemy use anyway. They had the same personality, and Bobby quickly claimed him as a cousin's son who had lost his parents and would be living with him for a while. It helped that Ed had kept his hair in the same brown color that Bobby once had, and that he always asked for a warrant if people asked for a DNA sample which had only happened once.

It had taken a lot of convincing to prove he was in fact nearly seventeen, despite his small size. A quick trip to the dentist proved that his wisdom teeth were nearly out, which was all the Child Protection Agency needed to back off.

It had taken Dean and Sam longer to get used to his eyes, so he finally started wearing blue contacts to turn his gold eyes to a sharp green.

Apparently a demon with yellow-eyes had killed their mother, so they were naturally suspicious of anyone with yellow eyes. Even ones that were technically a warm amber and not a sickly yellow. Still he could live with contacts if it meant that the brothers wouldn't immediately go for their guns upon sight of his eyes.

Apparently the fact he could recite what was a demon-exorcising ritual, drink holy water and eat salt was enough to keep them from shooting him outright long enough to put the contacts in.

He really liked the Winchester brothers, he honestly did. They were more like him and Al back when their mother died, only they seemed far more dependent on each other than he and Alphonse ever were.

So much so that the fact Dean had sold his soul to bring Sam back because of yellow-eyes didn't surprise him in the least.

* * *

"So let me get this straight. I have to sit tight and wait here while you go deal with some guy who apparently kills in dreams."

"Yup."

"Hell and no," said Ed flatly.

"I ain't givin' you a choice idjit," said Bobby.

Ed's eye twitched. Bobby had a rather unique manner of talking that occasionally amused him. But he hated being called an idiot.

The fact he passed his high school exams in less than a week with only the most basic of course books given to him from the Winchester brothers could attest to the fact he was not an idiot. The fact he understood most of Sam's lawyer mumbo-jumbo after reading his old text books from Stanford before he went back to hunting also proved he was not in fact an idiot.

Ed glared at Bobby, who finally took out something he had been planning to give the kid ages ago.

A laptop.

"Here's the wireless password. I'll be back in a few hours."

Ed quickly dove into the manual for the laptop and once he set up his new computer (he had been meaning to get one anyway as they seemed interesting enough) he immediately dove into the internet.

Despite being a seventeen-year-old boy, Ed didn't go near the more adult sites. Instead he dove right into the scientific sites after using a popular search engine to find a community for it.

Needless to say scientific minds around the world were shocked to find a seventeen-year-old who understood physics who didn't have an e-mail account just yet jumping into their topics with fervor.

Bobby came back four hours later, noticed Ed was sufficiently distracted, and went to work. Around ten he went to bed, Ed having already gone to sleep after his eyes had given him trouble around thirty minutes earlier.

Ed woke up the next morning with Bobby unable to wake up. He even cocked a gun near Bobby's head, with no reaction. Holy water splashed in the face did nothing.

He grabbed Bobby's phone and immediately called Sam and Dean. He managed to keep the housekeeping out by flipping the little card on the door, so they could at least see the evidence without the EMTs trampling over everything.

"What happened?" demanded Dean when they arrived. Ed had taken his contacts out five minutes ago and hadn't expected them to nearly barge in. Neither brother noticed his golden eyes, which he took to be a good thing.

"He was investigating a dreamwalker. He came back four hours after leaving me here, and when I woke up this morning he wasn't moving. I tried everything and no response. That's when I called you two," said Ed bluntly.

"Did he say or do anything unusual?"

"I was in the middle of a chat with some guy in Germany about the finer points of astrophysics when he came back. I didn't notice anything off when we had dinner though," said Ed.

Sam raised an eyebrow until he noticed the new laptop.

"Dude, you didn't go on any sites with naked chicks at _all_?" said Dean incredulous.

Ed rolled his eyes.

"I'm not like you, Mr. I-can't-keep-it-in-my-pants. Once I got my e-mail account I started hitting scientific discussions. Why on earth would I care for pictures of undressed _girls_ when science is more interesting?" deadpanned Ed.

Sam snorted in amusement. Ed was far more like him than Dean, intelligence wise. Once he got over Ed's eye color, and really spending time around the kid made it easier to see the warm amber and not the sickly yellow of Azazel (what that demon-girl had called the one who ruined their lives), it was nice to chat about normal topics instead of anything supernatural.

The kid was sharper than he was, and he was an older brother. Apparently he saw himself in Sam, oddly enough.

If anything ever happened to Dean, or they couldn't break the contract, Ed would likely be the one Bobby sent in to keep Sam together until he could stand on his own.

For some reason it was easier to talk to Ed than it ever had been with Dean. Possibly because while Ed looked at him like a surrogate older brother, he also didn't treat him like a child as Dean had an annoying habit of doing. He treated him like an equal.

The fact that Sam never once mocked Ed for his short stature didn't hurt either.

As Dean grilled Ed for the facts, Sam watched the two interact.

Yes, they got along well enough, but there was an undercurrent of tension between them. Dean acted as though Ed needed to be protected, while Ed treated him like an idiot.

Finally Dean threw up his hands in defeat and went to see if he could find whoever had put Bobby into this state.

Meanwhile Sam got Ed into a rather interesting discussion of physics versus alchemy. Since alchemy was more like science than witchcraft (Ed had shown them painstakingly that he was not drawing from any demonic forces, rather from a place he called the Gate of Truth which in his opinion was far more terrifying) Sam had no reason not to be interested in it.

It seemed far more substantial than learning how to use his psychic abilities at any rate. Ed seemed happy to have someone to talk Alchemy with.

When Sam carefully approached the subject of why he had trouble talking to Dean without a name-calling match eventually occurring, he got a surprising response.

"He reminds me of me, only I had the sense whatever god there is gave to people to ask for help when I needed it. I guess Al and I learned quick that standing on your own is good and all, but there's no shame in asking for help. Probably because we didn't end up in half the crap you two did thanks to your Dad until after we gained a measure of independence."

The closest thing he would claim to a father was Roy, and the closest thing he had to a mother was Teacher and occasionally Riza Hawkeye.

Honestly the similarities between Dean and him were uncanny. About the only major difference was that while he had the same older-brother-protectiveness, he also had a measure of trust in Al to be his back-up no matter what and to do the right thing.

Ed paused at that thought. Come to think of it, Dean had a similar way of treating Sam except for the full trust part. Like he was wary of something.

"Sam, is there any reason why Dean doesn't trust you?" asked Ed abruptly.

Sam blinked.

"None that I can think of off hand, why?"

"Well your relationship with Dean is very similar to Alphonse and me, except from what I can tell Dean doesn't fully trust you. Like there's some undercurrent of wariness he's not willing to admit," said Ed. Sam's mind flew to the whole 'psychic power' issue, and the fact that Azazel apparently dropped blood in his mouth as an infant.

"Well there is one thing. When I was six months old a demon who had been stalking our family for years apparently bleed into my mouth and killed our mother. We learned recently that he had done the same to many other children who all developed abilities of some sort."

Ed nodded. Now it all fell into place.

"And Dean is subconsciously worried that the 'demons blood' will eventually 'turn' you evil, and you two have spent your life chasing things that hurt or kill others. He probably doesn't even realize it himself actually."

Ed had hit Dean's personality spot on.

"Are you majoring in psychology at the moment by any chance?" asked Sam jokingly.

"I was bored and one of your law books recommended reading this psychoanalysis book based on human behavior. Bobby actually swore that I had more books on random subjects than he did about killing things in his study," chuckled Ed.

Sam could easily believe that. Ed's interest in science and hunting outpaced his easily. In fact Ed had already memorized the chants to exorcise demons faster than Sam had.

He even got the same tattoo Dean and Sam had to keep possessions from occurring with Bobby's "permission" out of state. Though Ed seemed surprised at the lack of reaction to his scars from Bobby at the time.

"I'm surprised you haven't confronted Dean about this behavior yet," said Ed.

"I've tried. Nothing seems to work."

"It just deteriorates into a massive shouting match that never seems to go anywhere, right?" said Ed. Sam nodded in annoyance.

"Heh, reminds me of the time Al refused to talk to me because he thought I was holding back on him when I was simply too afraid to ask if he hated me for what happened," said Ed in self-hating amusement.

"You never did explain what happened to your arm and leg."

"We were idiots who thought we knew what we were doing. Our mother had died nearly two years earlier and we learned as much about alchemy as we could, then we tried to bring her back."

Sam blinked.

"By bring her back you mean..."

"Bring her back to life through alchemy. There is one taboo which is forbidden, one that even the Military refuses to acknowledge for research...that of using alchemy to change the foundations of a human body. You can attach the soul to something inanimate like a suit of armor easily enough if you're dumb enough to do it, but bringing back someone who had died...well, I was considered lucky to survive."

"Attach a...how is that even possible?"

"Stupidity and sheer desperation. I wasn't letting my brother pass on to the next life because I was an arrogant, stupid child who should have known better."

And so Ed explained about the ritual, one that Sam almost immediately connected to magic, except Ed and Al never asked for help from a crossroads demon. They had tried to bring back a human life through their own power, and nothing of alchemy reminded him of witchcraft outside of their transmutation circles which looked only vaguely similar.

About the only reason Sam didn't shoot Ed out of principle was because Ed had admitted he was an idiot to try it in the first place and had done damn near everything to reverse what he had done outside of things that were morally repugnant to him. Like sacrificing innocent people to make a 'stone' which could bypass the laws.

Dean came back looking annoyed that he hadn't found anything. They had been forced to move Bobby to a hospital when the cleaning lady had come in and found him unresponsive.

It took some convincing, mostly on the part of Ed feeling monumentally helpless that he hadn't been able to help Bobby, before Dean agreed to share the dream root with him.

And it took all of an hour before they woke up along with Bobby...and the one responsible in a permanent coma because he was stupid enough to think Ed wasn't a threat because he was younger than him.

The idiot had regretted that idea when Ed beat the living shit out of him. Ed wasn't one to hesitate in an unfamiliar area. He saw a threat and reacted.


	4. Full Metal Hunter Chapter Two

_**If you want Castielle to make full story, let me know!**_

* * *

Alphonse Elric woke up in an unfamiliar town speaking a language he didn't know. It took him four hours to find anyone who could even recognize the language he used, and that was a guy there on business.

His name was Loki.

Loki seemed to be an understanding guy once Al explained how he ended in a rural town the middle of nowhere. And the fact that he had no idea how to speak English instead of what Loki called 'German'.

Considering how he often ended up finding serial killers to befriend, Al decided to stick around Loki, to his obvious amusement.

Apparently Loki knew a little too well what it was like having stubborn older brothers who didn't have the sense god gave a mule. Though he had laughed openly when he heard Al's description of his brother.

Alphonse quickly learned recipes for making sweets (Loki had a massive sweet tooth) and was now his traveling companion's new best friend.

Loki had a penchant for making arrogant jerks that reminded him of Mustang at his worst, only far more annoying, have a comeuppance. How, he had no idea, but it involved clicking his fingers for some reason.

When he tried to use alchemy, he could only do the most basic ones, nothing advanced like he was used to. It was...irritating.

On the plus side he learned more about swearing in those two months than his previous sixteen years combined. And that was when Ed was pissed.

"So who are you targeting today?" asked Al. He was understanding about Loki's ability to play tricks on people. Having no one else to talk to made it easier to get used to Loki's behavior patterns.

"Some idiot who likes to debunk mysterious spots."

Al sighed.

"I did hear an interesting rumor about the Winchester brothers though," said Loki.

Al snorted. Sam and Dean were Loki's all time favorite victims, and he tended to keep half an ear out in case they were in the neighborhood.

"Really?" said Al.

"Apparently the muttonhead duo recently took in a brown haired midget teen they call Rick who knows what alchemy is."

Al suddenly took notice.

"Rick?"

"It's a nickname. Now according to the supernatural grapevine, this kid either has green eyes or amber. Apparently he changes eye-color. He also spends an inordinate amount of time on scientific chat rooms," said Loki.

"That sounds like something Ed would do," said Al. Ed loved science, but knowing him would snort at the idea of physics.

"You going to ditch me if you find your brother?" asked Loki half-jokingly.

"I'm not sure," said Alphonse honestly.

Loki gave Al a look.

"I'm sure if Ed knew that I was alive and that I wasn't in danger, he wouldn't mind me traveling with you, even if he wouldn't approve of your antics. He knows he can trust me," said Al.

"Sounds more like your brother trusts you more than Dean trusts Sammy boy," snorted Loki.

Al smiled at that.

"Ed always trusts me. Even when I ended up befriending Scar, he trusted me to do the right thing. We may be close but Ed knows I would never do anything immoral," said Al.

"Definitely more than Dean trusts Sam," snorted Loki.

Loki had discreetly observed Sam and Dean, and their relationship was _not_ healthy in the least. They were too codependent on each other emotional and mentally. Just look at the mess Dean was in now! He sold his soul just because Sam wouldn't be around to hunt with him anymore! He didn't care what he had to do if it meant bringing Sam back.

Alphonse and Ed were codependent, but not at that dangerous level. Yes, Ed had sacrificed his life so Alphonse could live again, but that had more to do with cleaning up after a mistake he had convinced Al to make.

If he had failed, he would have grieved, but somehow Loki had the feeling Ed wouldn't go to the same length Sam and Dean would to bring Al back. He would have done everything humanly possible yes, but he wouldn't have immediately summoned a demon to do his work for him.

Then again Alchemists had their own special afterlife. Even if he had sold his soul, they would still end up in the Gate of Truth, where all alchemy resided. Not that most people were aware of that fact.

"Tell you what, if I see this Rick guy and he matches the description you gave of Ed, I'll tell you and let you see him."

"Really?"

"Sure! I'll be putting you to sleep while I drill it into Sam's thick skull that his little quest to 'save' Dean is doomed to heartbreak so you don't become bored out of your mind. Somehow I doubt he'll figure it out as fast as your brother would," said Loki.

Al grimaced. Reliving the same day over and over again? He would prefer an enforced sleep to that any day!

* * *

Ed looked at the unassuming town with a grimace. Due to the fact that the hotel room didn't have a couch, he had been forced to bunk with Dean.

Normally this wouldn't bother him except for a single fact.

He had been reliving the same day for the past three weeks, and apparently Sam was the only one who remembered it. At this point Sam was just glad Ed woke up earlier than Dean, because he destroyed the radio on instinct now.

If he heard 'Heat of the Moment' one more freaking time, he was going to bash the skull in of whomever was responsible for this headache.

Aside from watching Dean die a hundred different bizarre and freaky ways, it was more annoying than anything. Sam seemed to be suffering more than Ed was, probably because of his unhealthy dependence on Dean.

At this point Ed fully blamed John Winchester for not being a damn father to them and forcing that much responsibility on Dean. It had taken countless psychology books and several scream fests between Sam and Dean about the fact Dean would die in less than a year before Ed finally pinned down why Dean acted like Sam was the one in need of saving.

Dean treated like Sam more like a father than a brother, and it wasn't healthy. At all. Hearing more about how they were raised had brought up more points for that hypothesis.

Dean had been the one to care for Sam when he was hurt. Ed may not have had any love for his father but at least they had a stable parent to rely on. Really, the only reason he had figured this much out was because Ed had realized the fifth time they woke up to the same damn song that someone was trying to teach Sam a lesson, and Ed for some weird reason was immune to the mind wipe thing. So he had used that boredom to figure out what the deal between Sam and Dean was.

Ed decided to switch chairs this time around and sat down next to maple syrup guy. It took him a few seconds to realize something.

The guy was eating blueberry today. Sam didn't noticed because he was so focused on figuring out why the day kept repeating.

So when Dean choked on something, Ed sat next to the guy again. It was blackberry today.

Now he had a good idea of who was behind it, because really who wants to eat the same damn pancakes for two weeks straight? So he followed the guy out, and discreetly transmuted a baseball bat. A _metal_ baseball bat that is.

The guy didn't even see the swing coming.

"OW! What the hell man?" said the old guy when his face changed.

"Next time you do a Groundhog Day remake, change the goddamn song on the damn radio! If I hear _Heat of the Moment_ one more time..." snarled Ed.

"Seriously? That's your only complaint?" said the guy.

"Dean keeps turning it up to annoy Sam, and my head is right next to the damn speaker. It took me three retakes before I figured out the whole thing was to teach Sam about something. The only reason I care is because repeating the same damn day is _boring_ beyond belief."

"How did you know I'm behind it?" he asked curiously.

"You changed the syrup. Originally it was maple, but when I sat next to you it was blueberry. Today it was blackberry," said Ed bluntly.

He blinked.

"Name's Loki. Trickster."

"Edward Elric, alchemist," said Ed, taking Loki's hand.

Loki looked at him carefully.

"Are you wearing contacts?" he asked carefully.

"Dean gets trigger happy around yellow eyes, and mine are amber. I dyed my hair to keep the CPA idiots off my ass," said Ed.

"Goody! So you are the same Ed I've heard about. Runt."

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" said Ed in rage, raising the bat to hit Loki again.

"Definitely him," said Loki.

Suddenly everything went white and he was back in the room, next to Dean who was starting to wake up. He twitched, and slammed his right hand onto the radio without hesitation.

He officially hated that song now. Sam woke up and stared at Ed with a knowing look. He hated that song almost as much as Ed did at the moment.

"Dude, why'd you smash the radio?"

"Because I hate the song that you always play on it," deadpanned Ed.

"...What?"

"I'll see you later. I have a pressing need to bash the head in of a certain trickster god," said Ed flatly. Sam's eyes widened, but Ed left before he could ask what he meant.

* * *

It took Ed five minutes to find Loki again, this time armed with a gun. He wouldn't mind shooting the jerk, even if his aim was still crappy. Then he saw someone with light brown hair chatting with Loki's disguised form amicably. He nearly dropped the gun in shock.

"Al?" he said cautiously. If this was Loki's idea of a joke, then he was going to find a way to murder the bastard, god or not.

The brunette turned, saw his face, and Ed could see the recognition in his eyes.

"ED!"

Ed was tackled by someone who was unmistakeable his baby brother Alphonse. His _flesh and blood_ brother.

Al was babbling about how Loki had helped him and had woke him up a little early into his lesson for the Winchester brothers because he had accidentally found his brother Edward. Ed held his little brother at arm's length.

"So this whole time you've been with him?"

Al nodded.

"He's the only one who understood what I was saying."

"The runt was speaking German instead of English. Either I rescued him or they would have him deported," shrugged Loki.

Ed twitched.

"Maybe I won't shoot you in the ass after all," he said.

"Ed, why are your eyes green and your hair dyed?"

"Dean and Sam have had bad experiences with a demon who has yellow eyes. Dean gets a little trigger happy, and it was easier to pop in some yellow contacts rather than deal with him aiming a gun every time he saw my eyes. As for the hair...I dyed it for my cover story. Child Protective Services are a pain in the ass otherwise."

Loki grinned at him. He went into the diner to avoid Sam noticing anything wrong while Ed talked to Al.

"So you and Loki?" asked Ed.

"He's nice, and he makes sure I don't get into trouble or see him when he takes out the people he targets. He seems to like me well enough."

"He hasn't hurt you has he?"

"No, he made sure to warn me when we were in the same area as a vampire coven last week."

Ed could tell there was something Al wanted to ask.

"What?"

"You're not mad are you?"

"No. Relieved you're alright and a bit annoyed that he put me in the same illusion as Sam, but I'm not mad."

"...Can I stick around Loki then?"

"Why?"

"Well he's been teaching me stuff and he's been helping me learn English. Apparently people think I'm from Germany otherwise."

"Well if you did come with me I would probably be stuck with Bobby for months on end. If I can have a little talk with Loki, I don't mind you sticking with him. The last thing I want is for you to become a hunter like I have."

"You're a hunter?"

"It was better than some of the options out there. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a job without proof that you were born in America? We had to fake two fires and hack into three different computers just for people to believe I had lost all my identification! Being a hunter was simply the best option."

Suddenly the world went white and Ed woke up, again. This could get fairly annoying.

He found Al in five minutes and they continued where they left off. Finally Loki dropped them out of the illusion long enough for him to continue with Sam, though the Winchesters were out cold for obvious reasons.

At least Loki gave Ed something to do until he 'changed' the day once he and Alphonse caught up. Apparently he had been teaching Al how to use runes for protection since his alchemy was back to intermediate level instead of advanced.

Five hours later, he tapped Ed on the forehead and Ed hear a different song play on the radio. Apparently Loki had recreated Ed to the point where Sam didn't notice he had been taken out of the illusion early.

Sam was twitchy, big time.

Ed heard the sound of the gun go off, and it didn't take a genius-level IQ to figure out that Loki was nowtesting_ him _instead of Sam.

* * *

Sam had been traveling with Ed for six months searching for Loki so they could kill him. Working with Ed had been therapeutic in it's own way, as he had worked out several issues he had with Dean.

For one thing, he understood that his relationship had been very unhealthy for both of them and that this was more for revenge than anything else. The fact Ed was teaching Sam alchemy on the side was just a way to keep his mind off of contacting a demon to bring back Dean.

The fact Edward was the only one who could give him the alchemy array to attempt to make a homunculus was the _only_ reason why he hadn't used human transmutation yet.

"Bobby found Loki."

"Great..." said Ed. He had told Sam early on about trying to bash the bastard's skull in, which was the only reason why Sam had allowed Ed to go with him instead of leaving him with Bobby.

That and Ed had taken to stealing the keys and making it impossible to turn the car on. He was paranoid, not stupid.

Seeing Sam about to stab Bobby in order to 'summon' Loki, Ed had enough. He slapped Sam hard with his metal arm, nearly giving him a concussion.

"Satisfied Loki?" he asked the thin air.

"Not really. You didn't stop Sammy that well."

Sam glared at Loki coldly, then at Ed.

"The only reason he chased you was for revenge. In case you haven't noticed I've kept him from any crossroad deals and I've been keeping him from killing himself out of grief," said Ed annoyed.

"You knew?" demanded Sam.

"My little brother Alphonse is traveling with him. The only thing he's trying to do is make you idjits realize the fact that your co-dependence is way too unhealthy. He 'killed' Dean on a Wednesday as a way to see if could keep you from trying to kill yourself. Short of locking you up I didn't see a single way of achieving that," said Ed.

"It was also to make him see that trying to save Dean from a deal he made was pointless," said Loki.

"That too. In any case this was mostly to mess with you. Pissing me off was apparently a bonus."

"Eh, you aren't one of my usual targets, besides you're more stable than the muttonheads," said Loki.

"Why?! Why are you always targeting us?" demanded Sam.

"_'Teachings that do not speak of pain have no meaning, because humankind cannot gain without giving something in return,'_" quoted Ed.

"Wasn't that from the first book?" asked Loki.

"It's true though. Most of your pranks geared at Sam and Dean are trying to teach them something. It's just their upbringing that makes giving them the lesson a pain in the ass because they have trouble getting the message without you scarring them for life," said Ed with a shrug. He had read the series. It was interesting to see his life from another perspective.

Sam looked ready to break down in sobs. He was barely holding together because of Ed.

"Sam, we are so getting you two idiots into therapy when this is over," said Ed deadpan.

"This joke got old fast. I'll give you Alphonse's number once you wake up," said Loki.

Ed nodded.


	5. Jade Angel Chapter One

It was a perfectly ordinary night when everything changed.

Erika Potter, the Girl-Who-Lived, had just gone to sleep when Vernon, dead drunk and more than a little incoherent, walked into her room quieter than she ever would have believed possible...and took a pillow to her face.

Erika woke up with a start. Fighting like a mad woman to get free of the smothering hands, but the last thing she would remember of that night was the sight of the clock on her dresser...it read ten minutes to midnight.

Erika didn't know where she was, only that for the first time in her life she felt...safe. Wanted. Loved.

"Oh my poor baby. How could he had left you _there_ when we specifically stated not to do so under pain of death!" said a woman. She sounded very upset. Erika blinked. She had only heard that voice once, and it had been screaming at the time.

"When that bastard dies I am so going to make him suffer for leaving you with them," said another rather venomously. Again, she only vaguely recognized the voice.

Erika leaned back from the embrace and her eyes bulged.

"Mum? Dad?" she whispered in shock.

Lily was hugging her daughter rather tightly. Erika could feel the tears on her clothes.

"Hey sweetie. I'm so sorry we weren't able to protect you from all that. If only we'd chosen Sirius, or Remus..." said James Potter. He ruffled her hair affectionately.

"But... how is this possible?"

"That fat pig Vernon, may he rot in the pit for eternity, killed you," explained Lily.

"So that wasn't a dream. I really died?" said Erika. For someone who crossed over she was surprisingly calm.

"I'm afraid so sweetie. On the plus side, you'll never have to deal with a Malfoy again!" said James with false cheer.

"And we can finally see you perform instead of having to watch it second hand," said Lily.

Out of all the things Petunia had taught her daughter, she had been surprised then happy that her sister had at least bonded with Erika over ballet. Lily had never cared for it, but the mere fact that Petunia had taken Erika to lessons had made things just a little more tolerable than it could have been for her daughter.

It was one of the few things that could get Petunia's approval, and she had been quite disappointed when Erika had forgone the lessons in favor of magic.

Erika felt like she was finally home in that brief moment with her parents. James and Lily were absolutely _furious_ with Dumbledore for his inability to keep her even remotely safe while she tried to learn magic...and when Erika expressed a desire to go muggle and abandon her schooling at Hogwarts altogether, she was surprised her father agreed that it would have been better for her.

Lily wanted her to retake dance lessons. There was no reason to let such talent go to waste, and Erika had the talent (and the flexibility) for it.

Erika wished it could be like this forever. She never wanted to go back to her life again... her life was full of nothing but pain, and this was the best she had ever felt.

But the universe was a cruel bitch who loved to screw with her.

Erika was forcefully taken from her parents, who looked very angry at the intrusion...before she saw a spark of fear in their eyes when they realized who it was.

She saw a glimpse of wings and realized it had to be an angel.

"_I don't know how you managed to slip up here, but you're going back whether you like it or not! I am not allowing some slip of a _human_ ruin my day just because you didn't like the prophecy!"_ said the angel annoyed.

Erika saw golden gates, and realized with horror that she was being thrown out of heaven. She fought like mad to avoid being kicked out, but the angel had a stronger grip than she thought. She caught a glimpse of cold, cruel eyes before she felt herself fall. She heard the angel tell the gate keeper that until she killed the warlock she wasn't allowed back in.

And it was thanks to the gate keeper's reply that she knew the name of the angel who had cast her out.

Zachariah.

It was midnight when Erika took that first gasp of air since the attack, and the first thing she did was curl up her knees and cry.

She had found peace. She had been with her parents and she no longer had to fight and that damn angel had taken it all away. All because of some prophecy he claimed she needed to complete?

The next morning, Vernon's eyes almost did a double take when she left the room, but he clearly believed that the 'death' of his unwanted houseguest had been a drunken hallucination. They didn't speak a word, but Erika would later jam the door with some old nails that night just in case he tried to repeat it.

A few days later she found that his actions had an unexpected side effect...her scar, which had plagued her for years, was an angry red color and actually looked like it was healing over. Closer inspection of the pillow Vernon had smothered her with revealed a foul black sludge that refused to come out.

So his actions had removed whatever connection she had to Voldemort? Erika didn't know whether to be relieved or horrified.

She settled on indifference, though for the next two days she refused to leave the house, despite the A/C being broken.

Erika thought long and hard about what her life had been like and came to an uncomfortable conclusion.

Magic had screwed her life up. Badly. It simply wasn't worth learning how to use her magical core if all it gave her was pain and sorrow. Unfortunately she couldn't leave Privet Drive that easily. She had noticed the watchers yesterday and suddenly all those invites for tea became very suspicious indeed from the seemingly innocent Mrs. Figg.

Besides, it would take too long for her to reach London and to her Trust Vault from Surrey. Better to wait for a chance to catch the Knight Bus without anyone being suspicious from the Weasly house than trying to do so when everyone was watching her.

A few days later Dudley had a run-in with a couple of dementors and only barely managed to get away thanks to the fact her watchers actually got off their asses and saved him. Her uncle couldn't blame this on her, because she had been staying in her room quietly making a list of things she could and couldn't do once she had access to her converted vault contents and what she would need in order to live on her own until she was old enough to leave the country without suspicion. Outside of making sure Hedwig knew the general plan (which was to wait with Luna Lovegood, a fourth year Ravenclaw she had chatted to once before the Yule ball last year) until she had found a place or someone who could keep the wizards off her ass until Voldemort was no longer her problem to deal with.

She didn't know what prophecy that angel had mentioned was, but she could guess. She was not going to give him the satisfaction of acting as his pawn when she had her own life to live, heaven be damned!

So she prepared...and in the meantime she got back into her old stretching exercises from ballet.

Petunia caught her at it once, but when she went to tell Petunia what she was doing her aunt didn't say a word as she closed the door.

However Erika noticed that her aunt actually left her more food than usual and even allowed her longer shower times. Dudley never came in to drag her out again.

* * *

Erika hated Grimmauld Place more than Privet Drive, as bizarre as it seemed. She had at least made a strong enough impression with her 'rescuers' when she nearly brained Moody with the baseball bat left over from Dudley's ill-fated attempts to try his luck at the sport.

The fact she had brought it with her as incentive to leave her the hell alone, more so. Three seconds of Erika's scathing tongue lashing for her now-_former_ friends and the fact she seemed far too happy to hit them with the metal bat had been the best way to secure her own room...one which to her delight had a window that lead into the back yard.

She used that as a way out of the house one night to see how far it was to London.

The answer? Less than two hours walk, according to the Google Earth map she used. Less than that, if she ran.

Sirius seemed to be the only one who knew what was going on with her. That she planned to run away and not come back.

He recognized the signs pretty fast, considering he had the same ones when he was sixteen. He said nothing, but if Erika found an obscure book to summon beasts most people would consider evil under her pillow one night, she kept her mouth shut.

Because of her new anti-social outlook (she blamed Cedric's death, so the 'adults', barring Sirius of course, didn't question it) everyone more or less kept their distance.

Everyone except Fred and George.

"So little sister..." started Fred.

"When are you planning your big escape?" asked George.

Erika's eyes grew guarded. But her posture was relaxed. The twins had cornered her in a secluded portion of the Black Family Library, far away from any prying ears and after they had cast several charms against the adults hearing them. Not that they could, considering they were in a meeting at the moment. The fact she hadn't reached for her now ever-present bat spoke volumes about how she felt about them.

"What makes you think I'm leaving?"

"Dear little sister..."

"Did you think Sirius was the only who recognized the signs of teenaged rebellion?" finished George with a grin.

"So when were you planning to go?" continued Fred.

"Soon."

"We can help with the distraction," offered George.

"As glad as I am to hear that, the last thing I need is for the adults to realize that you helped me. And the less you know about where I'm heading or plan to hide, the better."

"Can we at least get a hint?"

"Let's just say I plan to get back into a hobby that I was forced to go to the wayside because I thought magic would actually make my life better, instead of making it worse."

Seeing their surprised faces, it was clear they didn't know she had a hobby before Hogwarts.

"But... what I could use is some help with keeping people from finding me once I'm out of here. And getting a passport, one for the muggle world."

"We might know a few people who can get a passport..." said Fred.

"But how are you planning to leave England?" asked George.

"Fly of course. Shouldn't be too difficult."

Of course things weren't as easy as she would have thought. Getting a passport took the better part of a week, and even then she had difficulty hiding what she had planned from the increasingly nosy Molly Weasley.

Fortunately there was an easy way to hide it. She used it as a bookmark in something muggle that Hermione wouldn't touch out of principle.

Erika had learned rather fast that Hermione hated fantasy novels, especially once she found out that most of the genre couldn't be applied to her new found magical powers.

She however liked it because it was something she wasn't allowed to read at home. A forbidden pleasure as it were. And she loved _Lord of the Rings_.

Some rather dense relative had given Dudley the entire set, all first editions. He hadn't even opened them once. So she had confiscated them herself. Not like Petunia ever noticed they were missing.

* * *

Erika had her chance during the last Order meeting shortly before the lists were sent out.

Erika locked the door, jammed it with a nail and had another argument with her former friends loud enough to be heard downstairs by the adults. After slamming the door, no one wanted to bother her for a few hours, not that they would after she nearly bashed someone's head in.

Remus, bless his nose, said that it wasn't the best time of the month to be around her when she was in a bad mood.

Everyone wisely didn't ask what he meant.

It took little doing to open the window. She kept it open most nights so Hedwig could hunt.

Hedwig was already flying to Luna's house until Erika found a way to keep the idiots in the magical society from bothering her ever again.

She deftly dropped to the ground with her expanded bag and made sure no one was watching. Her cloak was useful, there was no doubt of that, but with Dumbledore and Moody, it was useless. Luckily Sirius knew she was planning to leave soon, so when he heard the thump outside (he was the closest to the outside wall, strangely enough) he covered her exit.

If anyone noticed he talked a little too loud while in an argument with Snape, no one said anything. The twins grinned upstairs as they heard some of the insults he hurled at their potionsmaster.

The moment she entered Gringotts, she knew she was going to have a really, really bad day.

Malfoy was there.

There were ways around him though.

She waited patiently in line until the goblin was free, and asked to be taken to her vault. From there she emptied out her entire trust vault, and asked where she could convert it all into muggle pounds.

"Convert? Are you insane woman? Goblins don't keep muggle money on hand like that! We barely have use for the paper the muggleborns bring in every year!"

"So what happens to the cash the muggleborns trade in every year?"

"We use it as kindling."

Erika thought fast.

"Fifty galleons and you funnel it all to my wallet each year," she said immediately.

"All of it? What in the Goblin King's name would you need all that paper for?"

"You mean you don't want fifty gold coins just to get rid of it?" asked Erika.

"I never said that, just curious why you would want it," said the goblin quickly.

"It's easier to carry. Coins are heavy," said Erika with a straight face.

The goblin took her up to a higher office, where she paid them the fifty coins in exchange for them sending all the 'muggle' currency the got each year to her wallet.

Idiots.


	6. Shadow and Light Chapter One

_This sucks,_ said Dark.

_**It's your fault! If you hadn't insisted on going to see what the humans were doing we wouldn't be stuck in this damn mirror!**_

_How in the Pit was I supposed to know that the idiots were trying to create new life?!_

_**You got us into this mess Betzalel, you get us out or I swear to Father I will strangle you!** _Krad said in irritation.

Dark, or as he used to be known before he was sealed into a _mirror_ of all things four hundred years ago, Betzalel stuck out his tongue at his twin brother Arael.

The two of them had left heaven with Gabriel, mostly because they were in agreement with the arch angel. They had no desire to be caught up in Micheal and Lucifer's bitch fit about who their father loved best.

Dark sighed...until he saw a likely candidate coming in.

Satoshi would likely be glad to be rid of Krad's presence once and for all.

* * *

Satoshi had come down to the Black Wings, mostly because he had felt it becoming active again. Meaning Krad was likely trying to get out.

_Yo._

Satoshi froze. He knew that voice.

"Dark?"

_Yup. Listen, we want to make a deal. Let me borrow your body for a few days and you'll never have to worry about Krad somehow breaking free and taking over your body ever again._

"Why should I listen to you?"

_Because this mirror couldn't possibly contain our full forms if we really went all out. And if we forced our way out then Krad would have to take over your body completely since you've held his soul before. We don't want to be in here, and you don't want us stealing bodies._

"And what keeps you from doing it anyway?"

_Look brat, I just need your permission to borrow your body for about a week so I can find our older brother and get our own damn vessels rather than use some other poor bastard. I don't have to be so nice,_ said Dark crankily.

Satoshi blinked, as he had never heard of that term before. Dark and Krad always had tamers, not vessels.

"Fine. But you had better hold up your end of the deal," said Satoshi.

He felt something take hold of his body before he passed out. At least Dark had been nicer about it than Krad.

Betzalel stretched a bit before he walked out. He flipped off his brother in the mirror and smirked when he heard Arael cuss him out for it.

Then he went flying.

* * *

"Hey bro. Long time no see," said an unfamiliar voice behind him.

Loki (formerly Gabriel) turned to find...a blue haired teenager? Was that even a natural hair color?

"Do I know you?"

"Cut the crap Gabriel, we need a favor."

He stiffened. Then he relaxed when he felt the Grace from the teen hit him.

"How in the pit did you find a blue haired teenager?"

"It's his natural hair color, if you can believe it. Look, Arael and I have gotten a bit stuck and if we try to break our way out it'll be like sending a heavenly calling card. And we really don't want to deal with Micheal's bitching again."

Gabriel (and this was Gabriel now) grinned. He loved dealing with Betzalel and Arael, they were a hoot!

"Whatcha need?"

"Two custom vessels. I have the images for what we want them to look like, and our full forms aren't going anywhere. The kid said I could borrow his body for a week, so we have some time," said Betzalel with a shrug.

"Oh I have to hear this. I'll make 'em in exchange for that story. I haven't heard from you two chuckleheads in what, four hundred years?"

"There's a good explanation for that, and if you make the vessels we'll be happy to tell you. Knowing you, you'll laugh at us for it," said Betzalel.

"This is gonna be good," said Gabriel with unholy glee.

* * *

Like Betzalel had predicted, Gabriel laughed his ass off when he found out what happened. He found it hilarious that his brothers had been stuck in teenagers for the past four hundred years because Betzalel got too curious.

Arael was a bit annoyed with their brother, but he was more concerned on what his former 'tamer' would do once he woke up.

And Satoshi was less than pleased to see him face-to-face again.

"Let me get this straight. You _two_ (he looked between 'Dark' and 'Krad') are actually angels. And you got stuck in there because he (he pointed at Dark) got curious?!"

"We didn't know you idiot humans were trying to make a new soul in a piece of glass," said Krad sourly.

"Yeah, all those earthquakes? That was caused by our full power trying to get out and reconnect with us. We usually have to ask permission first," said Dark.

Satoshi looked like he was having a migraine just thinking about the clean up from that mess.

"So what, you two are renegade angels sent down to make our lives hell?"

"Renegade? We're not some stinkin' Fallen. We _left_. Dad didn't exactly ban us from making our own damn minds, and there was no way we were going to get caught up in Mikey and Luci's bitch fest about who He loved best," said Dark with a grimace.

"Your clan just had the bad luck of attracting his (he nodded at Dark) attention. Had we known what they were trying to do we would have avoided the area, especially since some moron thought using Enochian runes was a bright idea," said Krad.

"So what are your real names?"

"Betzalel," said Dark.

"Arael," said Krad.

Satoshi snorted.

"You're named after the Little Mermaid?" he said amused.

"A-R-A-E-L, not Ariel! That brat probably hates that story more than I do!" said Krad scowling.

"Satoshi-chan, his name is the 'Light of God', not Lion," said Dark cracking up.

"And yours?"

"Shadow of God. There's a reason why we're considered twins back home," said Dark amused.

"What about him?"

"Oh no, leave my real name out of it! The last thing I want is for the Host to find out where I'm hiding! They never cared that much about where you went, but they'll be harassing me left and right if they find me!" said Gabriel.

"He's Loki. Long story short, he's hiding from the other angels."

"So what do you two plan on doing now?" asked Satoshi. He was really hoping they would leave and not come back.

"I'm planning on going to visit Daisuke, tell them the truth and then go on a vacation to all points nowhere. No offense, but we've been stuck in this damn town for four hundred years. We need a break," said Dark.

"None taken, and the sooner you two get lost the happier I'll be," said Satoshi flatly.

"I like him," said the amused Gabriel.

"Of course you would," sighed Krad.

Aside from the near heart attack Dark gave the Niwa family (and getting his rabbit back) and telling them the truth about who he really was, the two were quick to make an escape out of Amazuno.

For the next ten years, they spent a long vacation _far_ from Japan. That is, until they started hearing rumors about a pair of brothers in America. Something about the vessels of Micheal and Lucifer.

So the twins went to find Loki for information.

* * *

"You guys too? I'm about to prank the Winchesters in a week, care to join in?" asked Loki, popping a sucker into existence.

"Can we watch? I'm bored," whined Dark.

"Betzalel, shut the hell up. Your boredom got us _trapped_ in a mirror for four hundred years!" growled Krad.

"I promise no more mirror traps," said Loki, snickering at the memory. That was still hilarious.

"Come on Arael! How often do we get to mess with hunters?" whined Dark.

"If they shoot or stab you, I swear to father I will laugh," warned Krad.

"And I'll join him!" said Loki chipper.

Dark and Krad watched from above as Loki sat in that awful gray outfit waiting for the Winchester brothers.

Dean was a riot, though Krad seemed to like Sam better. Then again Dark was a bit of a womanizer himself.

Seeing them about to stab Loki, Dark dropped from above with a grin.

"Is that any way to treat a god?" he asked with a shit-eating smirk. He could hear his twin growl from above with an added hiss asking what the thought he was doing.

"You're that guy from the bar who groped me!" said Dean in recognition.

Loki looked at his little brother with open amusement.

"You actually groped him?"

"He was asking for it! Those pick up lines were the worst I have ever heard!" said Dark in his defense.

Plus the look Dean had shot him because the act had chased all the available women away had been hilarious. Sam had apparently thought so too, because he had heard the two argue over the fact Sam had laughed at him.

Loki snickered at Dean's expression.

"Who are you?" asked Sam.

"Call me Dark. The grumpy blonde above me is my brother Krad. Loki is our older brother. Sorry Lo', I wasn't about to let them stab you for giving those guys their just desserts," said Dark.

"Meh. Not like they could actually kill me with that fish," said Loki, snapping his fingers.

Dean dropped the suddenly alive mackerel he had in his hands in place of the stake he was going to use on Loki. Sam let out a snort of amusement, despite himself.

"I thought Loki's brother was Odin," said Sam.

"He's adopted, Sasquatch. It just so happens we left when he did," said Dark dismissively.

"Dark, shut the hell up before you blow all our covers," hissed Krad.

"Oh come on! I thought the two idiots that Above and Below have been going on and on about would be smarter than this!" said Dark in his defense.

"What do you mean above and below?" asked the older gentleman. Bobby if Dark remembered right.

"You mean you don't know? Heaven _and_ Hell have been manipulating the bloodlines for years now just to make sure these two chuckleheads got born," said Dark.

Krad slapped his brother to shut him up. Instead it turned Dark's attention on his twin.

"Dark, shut the hell up," said Krad flatly.

"If you shut your trap now I'll get you something to eat," added Loki.

Betzalel never did know when to keep his mouth shut. It was why Arael had been immediately paired with him...he could keep his more enthusiastic twin in line. The fact Gabriel had snatched them up before Micheal could 'corrupt them' (Gabriel's words, not the Hosts) was just icing on the cake.

Dark whined, but kept quiet.

"Since you idiots wouldn't know how to kill us anyway, we might as well skedaddle," said Loki cheerfully. As funny as it would have been to see the look on their faces later, it was a better idea to get Betzalel out of there before he blew _all _their covers.

* * *

Betzalel listened to his brothers bitch about him spilling the beans that the Winchesters were being targeted within hearing for over an hour before he left his pet rabbit With (he still had no idea why he picked up such a weird pet) in his place to go bar-hopping.

He ended up running into the Winchesters completely by accident.

Unfortunately Dean and Sam were more than happy to corner him, making escape impossible. At least they paid for the beer he ordered.

"So...who are you really?" asked Dean. He was still a bit grumpy over the fact this guy had actually_ groped_ him.

"Someone who left because he couldn't stand the bitch fest of his two older brothers. Loki was the one to suggest it, so me an' Krad ditched the others before they dragged us into it. I'm fairly sure he is still trying to find us, if only to go into one of his rants again," said Dark.

"What are you?" asked Sam.

"Angel."

"Yeah right, and unicorns shit rainbows."

"For the record, they don't," said Dark with a grin.

Sam blinked.

"Look, you guys _know_ demons exist. You've run into them. Are angels really that hard to believe in?"

"Why haven't we run into any then? I've never even heard of an angel on earth," said Dean.

"Most of the Host are assholes. Hell, Lucifer thinks of you as bags of pus, last I checked, so how do you think he feels about his own creation?" asked Dark.

"So...heaven exists?" asked Sam hopefully.

Dark ducked when he saw Krad. He didn't want to get chewed out anymore, and dammit, he was bored!

"It exists. But it's not some place with pearly gates or fluffy clouds. It's more like a mish-mash of a bunch of ideals. Like say if your idea of heaven was a library, well then that would be where you end up," said Dark.

"Seriously?" said Dean. He noticed the blond looking for someone, likely their new 'friend'.

Before Dark could respond, Krad finally located him with a scowl.

"I take it you plan on bothering these two from now on?" he asked with an annoyed look.

"Maybe," admitted Dark.

"Then take this _thing_ with you. I'll be with Loki when you're ready to quit bothering the hunters," said Krad flatly, dropping a dizzy With on his owner.

"What the hell did you feed him?" said Dark in annoyance.

"Our brother had some form of strawberry liquor, which this furball got into while in your form. Should have seen _his_ face when he realized you had vanished on us," said Krad rolling his eyes.

"Not mad at me are you?"

"Brother, after being forced to spend four hundred years trapped in a single town and made to use teenagers as bodies, I can honestly say we need a break from each other before I really kill you," said Krad flatly. Half the reason why they had fought in Amazuno was because he was still pissed about that!

"What the hell is that?" asked Dean, eying the rabbit thing.

"With," said Dark, putting the furball on his shoulder.

Krad left, having delivered Dark's pet rabbit to him. If his brother wanted to play with the hunters, he was not getting involved. Loki certainly didn't care if he crashed with him for a few years...so long as he cleaned up after his older brother.

"So... Room for one more?" asked Dark hopefully.


	7. Angel's Horn Chapter One

Hayate Yagami was a fairly ordinary girl. She had lost her parents at an early age, but her uncle in England had insured that she could take care of herself until he was recalled when she was seven. Everything was fine...that is until she found the letter.

_Dear Hayate,_

_If you are reading this, then chances are you're old enough to understand the truth. No matter what though I want you to know we always loved you despite the circumstances behind your birth._

_I can only hope I am telling you this in person, but if you are reading the letter that means something happened to us and this is the only way for the truth to be known._

_The man you know as your father isn't your father. While I loved my husband this happened just before we met and he married me despite knowing I was pregnant with another man's child. If, as I have always suspected is true, then your real father is alive and well._

_There was a man at a bar near the college I was attending in America and one thing lead to another. I never saw him again, but the way he entered into my life he made sure I would know to contact him if anything happened. Let's just say our meeting isn't as mundane as you would think, but we agreed never to mention those events again._

_The man who I believe is your biological father is named Dean Winchester. He wouldn't have given me his name if not for the fact that there was no way I would have slept with him without it._

_If you want to contact him, I can give you some help in proving your story to him. He was justifiably paranoid because of his line of work._

Hayate read the list of things to mention, as well as the number left behind. It looked like some sort of government agency number, with an official seal and everything.

She debated on whether or not to call, but taking a look around her house (paid for by her mysterious uncle) helped to make up her mind. She was tired of being alone, and she wanted to see what sort of man her mother fell for.

* * *

Bobby Singer was about to make another pot of coffee for a research run when one of his 'official' phones rang. It was the one for the "FBI" cover several other hunters used.

He was paid a good sum of money by other hunters to help with their cover ID.

"Federal Bureau of Investigations," he said gruffly.

"_Ano... hello? I am looking for Dean Winchester?"_

Bobby blinked. The voice was way too young and she was asking for Dean by name...and to top it all off she was speaking Japanese. What in the hell had that idjit gotten himself into _this_ time?

"_May I ask who is calling?"_ he replied back in the same language. You could almost feel the relief on the other end.

The kid on the other end (and it was definitely a child speaking) explained about the letter. Bobby asked her a few questions that insured she was looking for the same man (and considering Dean was an idiot, it was likely it _was_ him she was looking for) and left with a sour taste in his mouth. Dean was going to have _hell_ to pay when he saw him again.

The girl left him her home number and Bobby agreed to call back the next time he saw Dean.

* * *

Dean took two steps into Bobby's house before he was slapped on the head by the man.

"What the hell Bobby?"

"You're a damn idjit is what. I always knew your habits would come back to bite you in the ass, and sure enough!"

"What habits?" said Dean confused.

"I just got a call from a kidlast week asking for Dean Winchester _by name_. She even had a list of things that could only point to you."

Dean blinked.

"A kid?"

"In Japan. She had the fake FBI number and a letter from her recently dead mother explaining that her father wasn't her father, and to ask for you," said Bobby gruffly.

"I don't... wait, did you just say Japan? Shit..."

"So she's telling the truth?"

"There was this one chick about eight, maybe nine years ago. Exchange student I think. Saved her life during a hunt..."

"I get the picture. If this kid is telling the truth, are you going to man up or not? She said her parents died in a car crash two years ago and she only found the letter," said Bobby.

"Wait, two years? Who's been taking care of her since then?" said Dean.

Bobby could see Dean was taking this seriously. If the girl was his daughter, then he had better do something or Bobby would never let him live it down.

"She said her step-father's uncle sent his secretaries to insure she knew how to live on her own. They had to go back two months ago," said Bobby.

"She's been living on her own for two months?!"

"What are you going to do?" asked Bobby.

Dean grit his teeth.

"If she is my kid, there's no way in hell I'm leaving her all alone. The biggest bitch will be getting a passport," said Dean finally.

"I can handle that. I have a few friends in Japan, and they might be willing to help bring her here since I know you hate flying," said Bobby.

He knew Dean was a good kid, it was just his bad luck he had someone like John as a father. The fact he was willing to take responsibility for a kid he didn't know he had spoke volumes about his character.

* * *

_One month later..._

Dean was waiting at an air port, mostly because the girl's plane would land soon. He was really, really hoping this was his kid. He had always wanted a family, but he had never expected it to happen like this. If she was his daughter there was no way he was going to let her live all alone. Unprotected.

Finally her flight landed. He waited impatiently, despite having no idea what she looked like.

He observed the passengers come off the plane, and saw a girl having trouble walking without a pair of crutches. It took him a few minutes to realize she was the only one under thirteen on the plane.

Which made her the girl he was waiting for.

"Here, let me give you a hand," he said.

"Is okay. Waiting for someone," she said in botched English.

Dean leaned down to meet her at eye level.

"Hayate Yagami?" he asked.

She blinked, but nodded.

"I'm Dean."

It was easy loading up her small suitcase into the car, and he even helped her into the car. It took them a few hours to get to Bobby's, but it was a rather awkward moment for them both.

The second Bobby saw Hayate next to Dean, he knew without any doubt that the kid was definitely the idjit's daughter. There was something about her demeanor that screamed the same stubbornness that seemed genetic in all the Winchester, and they had the same eyes as well. Hayate might have blue, but he figured that had to be from her mother.

He didn't mind acting as translator until the girl learned some English.

* * *

Dean stared at the envelope in his hands. This was the moment of truth for him. Carefully he undid the seal on the paper.

"Well?" said Bobby, but he knew after one look this kid was related to Dean.

"It's positive. Hayate is my biological daughter... Christ Bobby, what am I supposed to do?" said Dean running his hand through his short hair.

"Well for starter's yer not going to turn into John," said Bobby flatly.

"I know that! Kids need a stable home, and while I love dad his parenting skills were crap," said Dean.

"Want me to break the news to Sam? Seeing as how he hasn't spoken to you or John in over a year?" asked Bobby.

"He'd be more likely to answer your call than ours," agreed Dean.

"What are you going to tell him?"

Bobby didn't need to elaborate who _he_ was.

"Nothing. If Dad knew that he had a grandkid he might try to turn her into another hunter like us, and I'll be damned before I even think of allowing that to happen," said Dean flatly.

"I might have someone who can help. There's another hunter by the name of Ellen who's semi-retired. Runs a bar for others like us and she has a daughter named Jo. She might be willing to watch Hayate in between hunts so she has a stable home and still gets to know you. Plus there's the fact that Ellen isn't exactly a fan of your father, so there's little chance he will run into her before you tell him," said Bobby.

"What happened?"

"John got her husband killed on a hunt. She's not exactly fond of Winchesters but she might be willing to help once she finds out the situation. Keeps her safe at all times."

* * *

Ellen was surprised to get a call from Bobby, and even more so when she found out why.

"So let me get this straight. One of the Winchesters had a kid and you want _me_ to keep her?"

"You're not a fan of John and you're a hunter. Dean doesn't want his father anywhere near her because he's worried John might drag her into the same search for the demon he forced the boys into, and she's still an innocent," said Bobby.

"Kids need a stable home to really thrive."

"I suggested the Roadhouse because he could visit it and not draw John's suspicion. She stays safe and gets a chance to keep her childhood while learning about hunting. Dean's willing to pay you in cash if he has to," said Bobby.

"I'll do it for free just to piss off John. The fact his own son is willing to go around him just to keep his kid safe from him is good enough for me to help. But the cash will help pay for her schooling," said Ellen.

Plus Jo might enjoy having a little sister around.

* * *

Hayate liked America, and she liked her birth father as well. Dean was goofy, but really kind. He put in an actual effort to learn her language while she learned English. Sure it was awkward, but considering how alone she had been after her caretakers had left she liked it.

She didn't mind going moving to a new place. Her mother had hinted Dean had a very dangerous job.

"Here's your new room," said Ellen. It was next to Jo's and the door was right in front of her own. The basement was often used to house hunters who needed an area to crash and didn't want to attract the cops.

Hayate could see the room was rather sparse, but the bed was relatively new and had fresh sheets.

Bobby had explained the reason behind the iron wires in between the window panes and why there was usually a line of salt on the sills. She didn't know whether to believe in evil ghosts, but she could see they did and that was enough for her.

When she came down for supper, Ellen handed her a plate and gave her a soda.

Almost immediately there were questions from the other people in the bar, but Ellen answered them so she could eat in peace.

"Who's the kid?" asked Gordon.

"Another hunter Bobby's in contact with found out he had a daughter, and since he doesn't have a permanent home is paying me to watch her in between hunts. She's safer here than Bobby's considering he's not equipped to raise a girl and I have Jo to help me," said Ellen.

It was enough to keep the other hunters from bothering the girl without raising suspicion.

"How old is she?" asked another.

"Not even seven. And I've been asked not to tell her about hunting until she hits puberty, so keep your mouth shut," warned Ellen.

Dean was very firm about that. No hunting or mentioning hunting until the girl was at least thirteen. He remembered vividly the way Sam had reacted when he finally learned what their father did and he did not want a repeat with his daughter. The last thing he wanted was for Hayate to have nightmares about the very real monsters out there trying to eat her.

If she wanted to be a hunter later, that was her choice. He wasn't going to take away her childhood more than it already had been because of her mother's death.

* * *

_Three months after Hayate moves into the Roadhouse..._

Dean was in one place he had sworn to avoid, if only to respect his brother's wishes to be left out of the hunting game.

Unfortunately, he didn't have much choice. Sam was the closest hunter and he wanted to get this done fast and right.

So he went to visit his brother in Stanford.

Sam was not happy with Dean, but he agreed to help if only to get rid of his brother.

"So what was with that phone call I got from Bobby six months ago?" asked Sam finally.

"Which one?"

"The one where he basically tells me one of your screw-ups have 'come back to haunt you'?"

"If we get this done and over with fast enough I might have enough time to show you. I'm sure it would be interesting for all of us," said Dean cryptically.

"You got a girl knocked up, didn't you?" Sam accused him.

Dean flinched.

"You did, didn't you? Does dad know about the kid?"

"No, and if you tell him that he's got a grandkid I swear to god I'll shoot you myself," growled Dean.

Sam blinked.

"Dad doesn't know about his own grandkid?" said Sam incredulous.

"I'm not letting him drag Hayate into hunting. Not a chance in hell."

"So his name is Hayate?"

"Her. And I plan on keeping her from dad for as long as possible."

"Why?"

"Like you said, we were raised as warriors. Remember that Christmas you finally found out what Dad was really doing? You cried yourself to sleep because you were terrified that monsters were going to break in and eat you. I told the hunter watching her that she wasn't to mention what we do for a living until Hayate was thirteen at least," said Dean.

Sam was quiet after that, shocked his brother was being so responsible for once. He knew Dean slept around a lot, but the fact that his brother was keeping something this big from their father was shocking to say the least. Hearing his reasoning behind it however made it easier to believe.

"The interview isn't until six in the evening. Think we would be close enough to wherever she is for me to meet her and still make it in time?" said Sam finally.

"If not, I'll pay for your plane ticket," said Dean.


	8. Shadow and Light Chapter Two

Bobby looked at the two incredulous as the 'angel' who called himself Dark poked around his house.

"Explain this to me again, and this time make some damn sense!" he growled. He did not have enough coffee or liquor for this.

"What's to explain? My brother decided he had enough of me getting us into trouble and ditched me for our older brother. I figured I'd stick around these two (he looked at the Winchesters) if only to figure out why heaven and hell are so damn interested in them. To be honest, aside from the demon's blood in the Sasquatch nothing really screams interesting about you two," said Dark.

"Demon's blood?" said Dean in horror.

"Trace amounts of it. Anything that can read souls and knows what it is could pick up on it," said Dark.

"Is there any way to get rid of it?"

"None that I know of. I'm more like Loki than Raphael. Though for the last four hundred years I've been specializing in traps and runes," offered Dark.

"Runes?" said Bobby, now paying attention to the 'angel'.

"I can turn this place into a fortress and the demons wouldn't even know until they ran smack into it," confirmed Dark.

They would also end up completely humiliated in the process, but that was a moot point. Dark was a prankster, a womanizer and an unrepentant thief. Micheal would be appalled.

Gabriel loved it.

After demonstrating said runes for Bobby (who confirmed them to be real) the hunters more or less accepted Dark's presence. They still didn't believe he was an angel though. Even after seeing With turn into an impressive pair of pitch black wings.

The fact he actually knew how to hunt without being told was nice though.

* * *

"I can't believe Betzalel managed to worm his way in with the Winchesters without being shot," pouted Gabriel.

"I can. When he isn't being an idiot, he has the strangest ability to make friends with creatures no sane person would go near. I happen to know the origin of that annoying rabbit of his," said Arael flatly.

"This I have to hear!"

So Arael told him. With hadn't always been so cute and cuddly when Dark first got him. In fact the little fuzzball had damn near mauled him originally.

"Let me get this straight. That little fuzzball was some sort of hell-beast that had been causing trouble half a millennium ago, and when he went to put an end to it, he ended up falling in love with the beast and somehow managed to turn it into...that?" said Gabriel incredulous.

"The thing kept feeding off his Grace, and I think Dad thought it would be funny so he had it slowly altered until it turned into a rabbit of all things. Those wings he turns into are the closest it gets to it's original form. I still think it was a shifter-cambion crossbreed though," said Arael.

"How would that even work out?"

"No idea. All I know is that little fuzzball damn near bit one of my wings off before Betzalel finally dominated the thing," said Arael sourly.

There was a reason why Krad and 'With' had never gotten along. He had blasted the thing more than once. The only reason it wasn't dead was because Betzalel thought the pest was adorable and finally domesticated it.

Arael sometimes wondered how Dark's last "tamer" would have reacted if he had seen With's true form. As it was, he could sometimes entertain himself with the idea of how Micheal or the Host would react to Betzalel's pet.

"Can I have an image of this thing before it became so cute and cuddly?" asked Gabriel.

Arael shared a memory of the thing before it calmed down, then his private fantasies of Micheal's reaction.

Gabriel took one look at the hell beast, then at Arael's private musing before he started cracking up.

"Too bad cameras don't work in heaven. That would totally be worth a trip home, just to see his reaction to that rabbit!" cackled Gabriel, on the floor howling. Arael snorted in agreement.

* * *

Dean, Sam and Dark were in the bank, trying to kill a shifter. Dark's pet rabbit was sound asleep in his hood.

Ronald, the rather foolish civilian who had somehow caught the shifter on tape (Dark had cracked up when he heard the words man-droid), had decided holding up a bank until he killed the thing was a great idea.

Dark was just plain bored. So when he felt With stir in his hoodie, he grinned. Evilly.

"I don't like that look. What are you planning?" asked Dean quietly.

With's adorable furry face popped out of the hoodie, not that anyone but Sam and Dean noticed. Sam happened to like cute, furry things. More than once Dark had caught With curled up to the Sasquatch.

"With, seek and destroy. I don't care about the humans, but there's no way in hell I'm getting shot because some idiot caught one of your...cousins...on tape and decided to play hero," said Dark with a smirk.

"Cousins?" repeated the brothers in unison.

Black feathers obscured sight for a moment, before there was a shriek of surprise and pain from something decidedly _not_ human. When they could see again, everyone stared at the large black thing with wings devouring something.

Dean and Sam reached for the weapons they no longer had in shock.

"With! What did I say about eating what you kill? Bad rabbit!" chastised Dark.

The thing lifted it's head, revealing a black muzzle and hellfire-red eyes. It crooned, blood dripping from it's mouth and razor-sharp teeth.

"Bad. You know this means I have to wash you later," said Dark.

The thing's ears drooped. With _hated_ water, especially holy water.

"What...the...hell?" said Dean, voicing what everyone in the bank was thinking.

"What? He's cute!" said Dark defensively. He didn't even look remotely disgusted as he petting the thing's head.

Seeing it shrink into the 'cute and cuddly' With, Sam stared.

"What is he?"

"With? Let's just say my brother hates him for good reason. Took me two centuries to get him to quit tryin' to maul me," said Dark, scratching the 'rabbit' on the head.

"What is he?" asked Dean, more than mildly disturbed by the fact there was still blood dripping from the thing's mouth.

"As far as I've been able to tell, a shifter-cambion crossbreed. Basically a crime against nature and god. I originally took him in just to see the look on my brother's face if I ever went home with him. Then he went cute and cuddly for some reason," shrugged Dark.

After four hundred years of With acting as his wings, since his real ones were sealed in the mirror, there was no way he was giving up his pet. And With had learned the hard way years ago who the stronger one was.

There was a reason why Dark had bothered to visit the Niwa family once he had his own body. He wasn't letting that rabbit stay with an innocent family without him to keep the thing in line. That was just_ asking_ for trouble.

"He may look cute and cuddly, but when properly motivated he can rip your face off," said Dark proudly. The 'rabbit' crooned in it's language.

"He's not going to eat us in our sleep...is he?" asked Sam.

"Nah. He's gotten pretty lazy since I got him. So long as you bribe him with strawberries, he's pretty much easy to get along with. You're still getting a bath later though," said Dark sternly.

With pouted.

* * *

Sam had trouble believing the thing turned into such an evil crime against nature (and killed a shifter without hesitation when ordered) was the same rabbit currently curled up on his lap, having finally escaped the hated water.

According to Dark, the reason With hated getting wet was because it had been hit one too many times with holy water courtesy of some deluded priest. It only stung a little, but it had learned water was bad.

Dean still shot the fluffy rabbit wary looks from time to time.

"I have returned! And I come bearing pie!" said Dark proudly, having swiped one of the many illegal credit cards Dean carried. He was a thief after all.

"Pie!"

Dark handed Dean two of the boxes, and the third to Sam. A quick inspection revealed it to be strawberry. With perked up, having smelled the fruit before he dove in. Dark chuckled.

"How is it that the rat thing can get strawberries all over it's fur and you can care less, but when it gets blood on it you insist on giving it a bath?" asked Dean, hooking a fork at said furball.

"Blood is a bigger pain to get out. Especially when it's human," said Dark, before he added "Besides, I cast a spell on With centuries ago so that the berries just slide off his fur aside from the scent."

"HEY! That's _my_ card!" said Dean, finally noticing the plastic in Dark's hand.

"Spoils of war," said Dark in a sing-song voice.

"Gimme!"

"Catch me if you can, Winchester!" laughed Dark. He was out the door before Dean could pounce on him. Dean growled.

"Remind me again why we put up with him?" asked Dean.

"Because demons are actually_ afraid_ of him, he hasn't tried to kill us yet, and owns a rather bizarre rabbit that turned out to be some sort of hellish crime against nature?" said Sam, listing the reasons.

"And because he is _unfortunately_ more helpful than most when it comes to hunts," finished Dean with a growl.

Dark was a pain in the ass, but he was a _useful_ pain in the ass. Even if his rabbit now officially worried Dean. He had thought the thing was an annoying pest that Dark kept around for company. He hadn't thought the furball was an actual_ threat_.

* * *

When Sam was taken, he wasn't alone. For some reason only known to Dark, With had taken to sleeping in Sam's pocket.

Dark suspected With could smell the demonic taint, and the fact Sam wasn't above sharing any strawberries he happened to get in his meal with the 'rabbit' didn't hurt either. And Sam tended to get those quite often.

As Dean once commented, the rabbits were tag teaming against them both.

Dark immediately took the chance to put Sam into a pair of brown rabbit ears, to Dean's eternal amusement. Sam still hadn't gotten all the photos from that prank. Dean had it as his wallpaper!

(Sam finally had enough when Dark somehow set his ringtone to '_Here Comes Peter Cottontail_' and made sure Bobby was within hearing distance when he set it off. Dean had never laughed so hard in his life.)

"Why aren't you freaking out?" asked Dean after calling Bobby with the news demons had taken Sam.

"With likes Sam, and he's bright enough to know how to bribe the rabbit," said Dark shrugging.

Dean paused in his freak-out.

"Sam had that homicidal rabbit?"

"Last I saw With, he was had somehow managed to convince Sam to let him sleep in his pocket," said Dark.

"There are so many things wrong with that statement, primarily the fact we've seen that thing at it's worst," said Dean.

"Or it could be that With thinks Sammy is a rabbit too, and wants a little brother to spoil," said Dark after a moment.

Dean couldn't help the snort of amusement, clearly remembering the rabbit ears.

* * *

The first thing Sam remembered, having gone in for pie and hopefully some more fruit for a certain rabbit, was the smell. For a few seconds he had thought it had come from a certain furball in his pocket, until he remembered With usually smelled like strawberries, his favorite treat.

Dark had been entirely unsurprised that With started hitting Sam up for food once he found out that Sam had a tendency to eat healthy. Dark was firmly on Dean's side when it came to food...the junkier the better.

The next thing he remembered was being hit with something...then waking up in this area.

He felt something squirm in his pocket, and pulled it open enough to see a pair of crimson red eyes looking at him reproachfully. Sam pulled out his hoodie (he had started to wear them when he realized the rabbit would curl up inside and stay out of the way) and the rabbit immediately went into the hood.

When he realized the trouble he was in, he was very glad With had a habit of snuggling up to him and stowing away in his clothes. Better to have dubious back up he knew was effective than none at all.

Plus it was kind of hilarious to see the _look_ on the other psychic's faces when they saw how fast the Acheri demon ran from the tiny furball.

Eva, the psychic who had helped him out when Dean needed a break from dealing with Sam, seemed the most confused.

"Why was a demon freaking out over such a cute rabbit?" asked Eva.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said honestly.

* * *

"So where's Sam?" asked Bobby to Dark.

"Well... I can call With here if I need to, but since I know for a fact he likes Sam enough to defend him I doubt it's a good idea. If I had a visual of where he is I could bring Dean to him along with any ammo. It's been a while since I spread my real wings instead of relied on With," said Dark.

Bobby and Dean rolled their eyes. They were used to Dark's claims of being an angel. While they agreed he was something they had never hunted before, they were highly skeptical he was an angel.

Dean was about to reply to that when he had a sudden blinding headache. All he saw was a tree in what appeared to be iron or something on a bell. It ended just as quickly as it had come.

"What is it?" asked Dark immediately. He had _felt_ that, and it was boosted by demon-taint to boot.

"If that was what Sammy kept getting, it's no wonder he never said anything," said Dean grimacing.

"It was a vision, wasn't it? That was directed specifically at you," said Dark.

"How can you tell?"

"Demon-taint was centered only on Dean."

"So what did you see?" asked Bobby.

"Hold up. I have a faster way," said Dark, "This might feel a little weird, but I promise it won't do anything but allow me to show what the vision gave you."

"Go for it," said Dean.

Dark put his hand on Dean's head, and snapped the fingers on his free hand.

A weird soap bubble appeared and it showed the images sent to Dean.

"That's the tree!"

"Cold Oak?" said Bobby.

"You know this place?" asked Dark.

"I've heard of it. Are you sure that's what you saw?"

"That's what I saw," said Dean. Dark let the weird soap bubble disappear.

"Thank you big brother Loki," he said pleased "Get your gear together and I can fly us straight to the area, provided this demon doesn't know about me. If he does we'll have to settle for walking."


	9. Angel's Horn Chapter Two

**_I forgot to mention this before, but the original plot idea for a Hayate-is-Dean's-daughter story did not originate from me. That can be entirely laid on the shoulders of edboy4926 who asked for a Supernatural/Nanoha crossover._**

* * *

Sam and Dean couldn't wait to get this hunt over with so that they could hit the Roadhouse once Sam had his interview. Dean just knew that Sam and Hayate would get along great...they were both total bookworms.

They had finished the hunt in what Dean considered record time, though he had a bad feeling as he was driving them back to Stanford. Like something awful was about to happen and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

That feeling panned out when he had to grab his brother out of a burning apartment building, his girlfriend pinned to the ceiling... just like their mother was when Sam was a baby.

Dean had a sinking feeling that this was just the start of something. Something much, much worse than their family had ever dealt with before. And he was afraid for Hayate.

* * *

"What? Yeah, I'll tell her. We'll be sure to make the place a fortress and Jo will take her to and from school. She's in the dining area now... See you in a few days," said Ellen.

Hayate perked up. She could always tell when her father called to ask about her.

"Your dad's coming here in a few days. And he's bringing someone you'll love to meet. Unfortunately he said that there was an incident, so no library without Jo there with you until he gets here, okay?" said Ellen.

"Okay Aunt Ellen," said Hayate.

While her English skills were coming along much better, her accent was still there. So long as they could understand her, Dean didn't care if she kept it. Since it felt weird to call Ellen mom (and she refused to be called Grandma on the grounds that she was _not_ that old), Hayate started calling her Auntie. She called Bobby Grandpa, mostly because he acknowledged he _was_ that old and he practically considered Dean his son.

A few days later Dean came in and immediately went to where Hayate was drawing in her book. Ellen encouraged her to keep up her clothing designs... Hayate was quite the little designer and it made her happy despite the fact that for some reason she had great difficultly walking.

Dean had been upset, especially when he found out that there was nothing physically wrong with her spine to cause slow paralysis.

"Dad!"

"Hey kiddo. How's the designing going?"

"Okay. Jo said she can take me to the fabric shop later once I helped her out with her math homework. It's so easy!"

Dean chuckled. For some reason his kid was a little math genius and Jo took full advantage of Hayate's ability to understand advanced calculus to help her get her homework done faster. In exchange she helped Hayate get new books and things with the money she made beating other hunters at poker.

"Who's the giant?"

Dean snickered at Sam's expression on his face.

"The...giant... is the man I want you to meet. Hayate, this is your Uncle Sammy. Sam, this is Hayate."

"Uncle Sam?" she said.

Sam bent down to Hayate's level. He noticed she had some trouble walking and wondered why.

"Hey there. I'm Sammy."

"Dad said you like to read books a lot."

Sam gave Dean a glare.

"So how long have you had trouble walking?"

"For a long time now. The doctors back in Uminari couldn't find what was wrong," said Hayate.

Dean had mentioned Hayate's mother was Japanese.

Sam then had an idea. To the amusement of Dean, Sam gave Hayate a lift on his shoulders. Hayate squealed with delight from being so high up.

* * *

"Demon possession. Are you serious? She hasn't shown any sign of being possessed and she passed all of Bobby's usual tests. Didn't even flinch from salt and holy water," said Dean.

"Think about it Dean. There are some cases where the possession is a slow-going one, only those are near impossible to spot until it's too late. And it would explain why she has been having trouble walking without any medical reason why."

"How can we find out if that's the reason behind Hayate's paralysis without her learning about our job?"

"Teach her the exorcism. You said she was trying to learn English right? Why not teach her Latin too and see if we can get her to say it instead of us?" said Sam.

Dean liked that plan. It was a way to teach Hayate a new language without her finding out about hunting. And it was harmless enough.

Sam slowly introduced Hayate to Latin. Dean had told Ellen the plan to see if Sam was right about the slow possession, and while she wasn't happy she allowed it. In between hunts Sam got to know his niece and he had to admit that Dean was a better dad than John ever was.

* * *

"Uncle Sammy? What's this phrase mean?"

Sam looked at the passage in Latin and translated it without thinking.

Hayate proved to have quite the knack for languages, as proven by the fact she had learned basic English in two months. So far she could just barely keep up with Sam, but conjugating the words so that she could form sentences was difficult and it didn't help that Latin was a _dead_ language.

"Ready to try again?"

Hayate nodded. Sam had been waiting for this moment for months. Since they were at Bobby's house (Hayate wanted to see her 'grandfather' and Dean had obliged) it was the perfect time to see if Hayate could recite the exorcism. Dean and Bobby were outside arguing over some car or another.

"Let's see you try this one. Remember, you just have to try and say the words right, not translate it. We'll work on that later," said Sam.

Hayate nodded brightly and started sounding out the exorcism. So far she had gotten most of it right, but Sam had to correct her pronunciation a few times before she got it. Her accent was a bit tricky to work with.

About three-quarters of the way through the exorcism, which wasn't that long, Hayate started to look like she was uncomfortable.

"Uncle Sammy? I feel weird."

"How weird?"

"Like there's something pressing on my legs," said Hayate.

Sam knew that he had been right about the slow-possession. Which meant he needed her to complete the exorcism before it figured out what they were doing.

"You want to continue?"

Hayate nodded. She wanted to get this done right so they could have fun reading more books. Bobby had quite the...interesting... collection. Hayate loved reading about the occult.

They soldiered on, and it took Sam a few moments to realize that something or someone was screaming. Rather loudly at that.

Dean and Bobby definitely heard it too, because they rushed in to find the source.

It was coming from Hayate's room.

"Sam, what the hell?"

He merely handed his brother the same ritual Hayate was trying to pronounce with an 'I-told-you-so' expression on his face...or what Dean flippantly liked to call Bitch face number four.

"She was reading this?"

"I told you something was up with her paralysis," said Sam.

Sam went back downstairs with a very confused Hayate while Bobby said the ritual properly. The book Hayate had brought with her from Japan, which had been bound in chains for some bizarre reason, once again put up an unholy racket as something foul began to try and break free.

The second the last syllable was said, there was a black mass that came streaking out of the book...and the chains suddenly broke without warning.

_**Anfang.**_

"Bobby, what the hell is going on?" said Dean. He had his gun aimed at the book, completely confused what was going on.

"How the hell should I know, idjit?!"

Hearing Sam's surprised yelp from downstairs, Dean raced to find out what the hell was happening.

What he found had him even more baffled and confused.

There were four people under what was clearly a ritual circle (though not one he recognized offhand) and one of them had _dog_ ears.

They called themselves the Wolkenritter and claimed to serve Hayate, which made absolutely no sense.

Hayate was out cold in Sam's arms, probably from the sudden shock she had just had. The appearance of the strangers was probably the tipping point.

Dean was most definitely not happy.

* * *

"So let me get this straight. You're tellin' me that you lot (Bobby nodded to the newcomers who were dressed in very odd clothing) came from that book Hayate brought with her. A book that up till this point was bound in chains," said Bobby carefully.

The leader of the group (who called herself Signum) nodded. The first thing Bobby had done was test them out and nothing had effected them. Not even silver for the wolf-man.

"We serve the Book and whoever is the current Master," said Signum tonelessly.

"And that master is my daughter, Hayate?" said Dean. He was taking this well, considering, but he was not happy. At all.

"Yes."

"And you have no connection to hell or any other form of demon," said Dean.

"We've never even seen it, nor do we know what a demon would look like," said Signum.

Dean had a headache. So did Bobby.

"Look, why don't we do a wait-and-see approach. I don't know about you guys but today has just been one headache after another since that thing came out of the book," said Sam tiredly.

"What book?" said Signum sharply.

Sam brought out a familiar book.

"We were concerned for Hayate, so we decided to check on some of the things she had with her to see if they were the cause of her illness. I'm pretty sure that this book had something in it that didn't belong, causing her slow decline," said Sam flatly.

It wasn't the full truth, but it was good enough for most.

"You're saying that the Book of Darkness was possessed?" said Signum incredulous.

Looking back on it, Signum realized it would explain a _lot_. Like why they had difficulty remembering masters once they were sent to a new one. Or why the few times they had looked into a world they had been based on it was destroyed shortly after the Book was complete.

"Is it really called the Book of Darkness?" asked Sam.

"It's what we've always called it," said Shamal, the blond woman.

"Perhaps it was called that after it was possessed by a demon. Either way, that thing is gone now and Bobby said he has something to keep her from being attacked again by anything similar," said Sam.

"We would never allow anything to harm Master Hayate," said Signum sharply.

"Look, we're all tired after dealing with today. How about tomorrow we take two of you on a hunt and see how good you are?" said Dean suddenly.

He was exhausted, frayed, and quite frankly there wasn't enough coffee to deal with this shit without alcohol in it. And Dean wasn't drinking with his daughter in the house.

"The red head can stay with Hayate, since I have the feeling none of you are willing to back down from keeping her safe," said Sam. From the way they acted, it was almost as if they expected to be attacked at any moment. This would keep the peace between both groups until they figured out what they were going to do with this mess.

"Acceptable," said Signum.

* * *

Dean and Sam took Signum and Zafira out on a pretty basic hunt. It was one of the best ways they knew to see how people really were.

It took someone of good character to hunt the things they did without any chance of reward in it.

They came back a few days later...and told Bobby that the Wolkenritter were alright, for something they had never encountered before.

To get a 'Winchester seal of approval' as Bobby called it, these Wolkenritter must be good hunters. Though Bobby did not look forward to telling Ellen that she had four new 'guests' in addition to Hayate. At least Vita (the smallest and 'youngest' of the quartet) could share with Hayate herself.

Ellen wasn't happy about the new bunch. Especially Zafira, but that had less to do with the fact he was a man (of sorts) and more to do with the fact he was a canine. Ellen was allergic to dogs, to Jo's disappointment.

Fortunately for the canine, Ellen's allergies weren't set off by his fur. But he still had to stay outside unless it was raining.

Vita was given the dubious honor of being Hayate's guard, while Signum and Shamal were her escorts. Shamal was quickly liked by the hunters at the bar when they found out she was good at first aid...though Ellen made sure that it was regular aid and not anything to do with their magic.

Signum however was the one most often drafted into hunts with Dean and Sam.

Peace was kept between the Wolkenritter and the hunters, at least for the moment. But even more questions would arise from something that would happen three months after the sudden awakening of the book.


	10. Jade Angel Chapter Two

It had been far too long since she had done this. The stretches made her wince with pain, until she started to remember the potions she had bought at the apothecary just for this purpose.

The clerk had given her a slightly surprised look at the ones she had gotten, but it wasn't until she was halfway to the really cheap apartment she had gotten near the dance studio that she realized why.

Muscle relaxant potions could be used for other...activities... than keeping the pains of remembering the stretches she hadn't done in over three years. Thankfully she had been in her new home when she light up like a Christmas tree realizing how it had looked to the clerk.

He probably thought she planned to have a long couple of days with her boyfriend with the looks he had shot her. It wasn't like physical activity such as what she planned was a big thing among the magicals.

Still, the potions did the trick as it kept her from being more sore than she would like once she started to remember all those lessons she had taken.

And it allowed her to quickly return to something she had sorely missed since learning she was a witch.

She loved the ballet. It was one of the very rare things that her aunt actually _liked_ about her niece. Lily hadn't enjoyed going to the performances with their mother, but Petunia had been an avid fan of the arts. Learning her niece was not only talented at it, but actually _enjoyed_ it had been the sole reason she had paid for lessons.

So yes, the first thing she did once she was on her own was find a dance studio to regain a hobby she had been forced to drop because of magic.

The girl, who had abandoned her name along with her wand and now went by simply Jade, went into class without a care in the world.

It was of great amusement that she had seen her former friends and teachers walk by the studio repeatedly without once glancing in to see if she was there. It was a testament to how little they knew about her.

Jade walked into the studio, ready for another day of bending in ways no human should be able to when the instructor stopped her.

"Jade, you are by far the most promising pupil I've ever had the pleasure to have. But you're wasted here in this tiny studio."

"Sir?"

"How would you like to learn dance in New York?"

Jade's eyes lit up. If she went to New York the muggle way, those idiots would never find her. She would be free!

"I would of course need your legal guardian's permission..."

"Would a verbal agreement work?" she asked. Better not tempt her luck just yet.

"She would have to send the money too..."

"I already have my passport and my part time job would pay for the ticket," interrupted Jade.

She didn't have a job, but she did have a habit of hanging around a certain cafe during lunch for several hours. It had dark windows so no one could tell them she wasn't an employee.

Also, free internet.

The instructor had an odd look on his face. He knew Jade lived alone, but the fact she had enough money and a passport ready spoke volumes about her home life. The fact she was absolutely positive her aunt would give permission to leave for New York, despite the fact she wasn't even sixteen yet meant she had been ready for this for quite some time.

Still, once the woman gave her permission, and she sounded just as excited as her niece was, there was nothing to do but to get Jade ready for the transition.

* * *

Jade both loved and hated New York. She loved being far from England and living on her own for the foreseeable future, but hated the smell of the place.

There was something about the smog of London she had grown used to. New York was ten times worse. And their accent was appalling.

Jade quickly grew used to being called old fashioned, both for her speech patterns and beliefs. She could care less if the girls in her dorm disliked her because she was a Brit, dammit, and happened to love the classics. Or that she could eat pizza and ice cream almost every day and not gain a pound.

They just didn't understand that Jade didn't give a damn about her weight. So long as she could dance and do the moves right, the teachers didn't care about anything else she did within reason. The others might be worried about their appearance and their weight, but Jade was the most sensible girl on the planet.

Starving herself wasn't going to make her a better dancer. Being miserable was never worth the headaches that came of it later.

"Non! Non! Non! You are to bend your legs like so!" said the woman with the worst French accent Jade had the misfortune to hear. And having being around the Beauxbatons girls, she knew a bad accent.

The Madam had one that was most assuredly faked. Jade just had the tact not to call her on it.

"Look at Jade! She had the position down perfectly!" continued the oblivious woman.

Jade ignored the glares from the other girls. Just like she ignored the fact they often put tacks into her dance shoes. She took great pleasure in using a switching spell to place the sharp metal objects back into the shoes of the ones who had done the deed while she slipped on her spare set.

A set that got far more use than the ones in her locker.

For the past six months, she had been learning the art of ballet in one of the biggest studios in New York.

And she had become bored with it.

Thanks to her natural grace, long limbs and ability to stay in positions without falling over, ballet was far too easy for her. And the other girls hated it. Hated her because she was a natural.

And Jade noticed that it was easier than before for some reason. Sore muscles healed within minutes without potions, instead of the hours they used to take. And then there was the fact she was seeing things. Things she should by all rights not be able to see.

The look on the man's face when she had tapped his shoulder one day at Grand Central park when some poor bastard had a heart attack... it hadn't been until later that she found out she could now see Reapers.

That had been a shock, for both sides of the equation. So if she happened to chat a few up in between classes, they said nothing.

They seemed to know something she didn't. And she was perfectly content to wait until someone started talking. She was nothing if not patient.

Tonight she was planning to see a play. Call her old fashioned, but she wasn't that big a fan of the modern movies. Too many special effects.

* * *

Jade was disgusted. The lead actress was atrocious, and she knew without being told that half the lines had to be modified for the girl because she had a crappy memory for them. Nerves were no excuse for not memorizing such a simple play!

Then she saw the advert for the next month's series of plays. Apparently they were going back to the great bard's work. It was a long line of the more popular Shakespearean plays.

The very thought of that girl mangling such classics was an affront to her inner performer. She had to try her luck, if only to keep some chit of a girl from ruining them.

Jade got in for one reason, and one reason only.

She could do a genuine Scottish accent needed for Lady Macbeth.

Looking at the reviews later for the play, she was surprised when she found that the critics liked her the best. Considering the play was supposed to be about a lord who allowed himself to be persuaded by his wife to kill his royal cousin and become king by default, despite having just been given new titles and lands, only to be taken out by the others, Jade was very surprised that out of everyone in the play they had said she was the most convincing version of Lady Macbeth, accent notwithstanding.

According to even the most cynical of critics, men who had torn down many a rookie actress, Jade Night (her new name) was like a living noblewoman from olden times, one who could give life to a part that so many failed to recreate like it had been written. The fact she could do a real Scottish accent without making it sound forced had been icing on the cake.

They had liked her so much that the director had requested she come in to do the others.

She played Puck in _Midsummer Night's Dream_, and her impish smile made her an instant hit with the critics.

According to one, it was like they were witnessing a living fairy come down to Earth just to mess with the mortals, and her delivery was flawless.

Jade felt like she had found a new hobby. Ballet had been fun for a time, but acting was so much more entertaining.

She almost felt disappointed when they quit doing Shakespeare's best plays.

* * *

Crowley was in a good mood. He had heard about this new girl on Broadway with the natural talent of acting, and he wanted to get his claws into her before some other idiot did. Anyone with that much ability would net him quite a bit of extra deals on the side, as people tried to ride her coattails.

It was a miracle she hadn't tried for Hollywood yet.

So he took his time to find her, in the hopes she would be foolish enough to sign a deal without thinking too hard about it. What he got was something he never anticipated, yet so much more rewarding on his end.

Pity he never did snag her soul in the process.

* * *

Jade looked up when she felt the foul energy heading straight for her. She had heard of demonkin from the reapers, who were surprisingly informative once they learned she had no interest in interfering with their duty, just in having a chat. They admitted she was a breath of fresh air for one of her kind.

Seeing the man approach her after a performance, she waited for him to say his piece. She could be polite when she wanted, and she was in a good mood for the moment.

"Hello," he said pleasantly, leaning against the wall.

Her good mood vanished in an instant.

"So did they send you?"

Seeing his confusion, she elaborated.

"The imbeciles at that damnable Ministry? Or was it the Order of the Over-fried Chicken who finally got off their arses to get something done?" she clarified. Her accent, which she did her best to hide had come back in full force because she was just that irritated.

His surprise doubled at the accent, and she could sense he was taking a much closer look at her. His eyes jumped in open shock and delight.

"A witch! A natural one! Haven't seen one of your kind this deep in the normal territory without a wand nearby in a while," he said in delight.

"I snapped that useless twig two years ago. Why are you here and what do you want? If you're here to bring me back to that thrice-damned England I warn you now, I won't go quietly," she growled.

"Hardly. I came to offer a deal," he said pleasantly.

"A demon deal? How big of a fool do you take me for?" she countered.

"Oh good, you're not entirely stupid like the rest of your kind. That makes corrupting you so much more fun," said Crowley pleasantly.

"Just get it out demon, I don't have all day and I'm going to be late for class as it is," said Jade irritably. Hearing that accent sent her on downward spiral towards her darker emotions. It just brought back all the worst memories.

Being around the Yanks made things so much easier. Easy to forget who she had been and all the pain she had gone through until this point.

"How would you like me to turn you into a successful movie star?" he asked with a smirk. He had little doubt she would accept.

Jade rolled her eyes.

"This? This is a hobby, same for dancing. I might be good, but it's not the thing I would sell my soul for just to get. And the one thing I _would_ sell me soul for is something you could never give me," said Jade flatly.

The pain of falling from heaven, kept from the only place she had ever been at peace...there was no way in hell the demon could pull that off. And even if he did, her soul would just be thrown into hell anyway. So no, there was nothing she would give her soul for.

"Are you sure? Any fool can tell your a natural actress, and it wouldn't be too shocking if you went to Hollywood and became an instant hit," he said smoothly.

That was how demons operated. They used gilded tongues and honeyed words.

Too bad she wouldn't fall for such tactics. She had chosen the name Jade for a reason, and it wasn't because her eyes were close to that shade of green.

"No. I'm not interested in making any deals for something I could care less about," said Jade flatly.

She hid the pain of that night well with years of practice. She had never let anyone in before, and she wasn't going to bare her soul to some demon now.

Crowley gave her a long look.

"Really? What would it take for you to sell your soul?" he asked, out of curiosity more than anything.

Jade would later kick herself for telling him what she actually wanted. It wasn't like a demon gave a damn about heaven, let alone had the authority to override one.

"Heaven letting me die and actually _stay _dead without throwing me out just because of some crappy prophecy I never even heard of, let alone care about," she said snappishly. She looked at her watch, a cheap little thing she had gotten because she didn't trust digital ones. She let loose an irritated sigh, realizing there was almost no way she would make it to class in time at this rate.

She brushed past the demon without giving a damn whether he followed or not, racing to try and get to class on time.

She didn't.

* * *

Crowley was...befuddled. Yes, that was what he was feeling.

The encounter with the girl he had planned to corrupt and use to get into Hollywood had been nothing like he expected.

She was empty, for lack of a better word.

Jade Night was a talented ballerina and actress, but she considered them hobbies. And from the way she had mentioned heaven it was clear she had already died and been sent back because of some prophecy.

The thing was, there were no active prophecies he could find in England that had the taint of angel interference outside... no, that was impossible. Potter was still firmly in Hogwarts under Dumbledore's thumb. He would have heard if she had left.


	11. Redemption Chapter One

He was in darkness. There was so much pain and he knew it was all his fault. He never should have trusted Ruby. However, Sam Winchester was not someone who just gave up. He would find a way to make this right even if it killed him.

So he took his time. He let Lucifer believe that he had won. All the while he looked for a weakness in the former angel.

Finally, after two long agonizing years, Sam had what he needed. While Lucifer used his body to bring Hell to Earth, Sam had been gathering the angel's power piece by tiny piece.

Finally, seeing his brother's past self, Sam acted.

When that other angel appeared, Sam yanked on what was left of Lucifer's power as an angel and threw himself into the past.

Sam woke up in a bed. But it was where the bed was that told him he had been successful.

He was back in Stanford, in that tiny little apartment before he had met Jessica. Looking at the date, he realized it was about a year and a half before Dean found him again to get help on that hunt. Which meant it was two weeks before he met Jess for the first time.

Only Sam didn't want to deal with that mess twice.

So instead of going to the bar where his friend introduced him to Jessica, Sam went to a small local dojo. Sure he had to pay fifty bucks for the lessons, but he considered it a worthwhile investment to get back into shape.

Especially when he ended up getting a blackbelt three months later. He wasn't in as bad a shape as he had feared.

Sam spent his free time looking up things he felt would help in hunts later. If, as a consequence he never met Jessica, well that only meant she would live when Dean came to get his help.

* * *

In heaven there was some confusion. Zachariah had noticed a disturbing change in the youngest Winchester, and he wanted to know what was going on.

So he went amongst the younger angels until he found out gullible and naïve enough to follow his orders without question. The only one that fit that particular bill was one of Micheal's garrison.

Castiel.

"We need you to keep an eye on the youngest Winchester. See if you can find anything suspicious about him," said Zachariah flatly.

"Yes sir," said Castiel tiredly. He did not like Zachariah. The seraph was grating on a good day.

Castiel dropped down to Earth, but could not find any vessels to take on.

So he chose an alternate method. It took little time to find an animal that had the right bloodline to host an angel without harm. The only real problem was that the body was too young to do anything.

* * *

"No way. Your dog actually gave birth to a puppy with blue eyes? Isn't that like really rare for rottweilers?" said Sam.

"Yeah, but that's also a problem. These are supposed to be show dogs...what am I supposed to do with a blue-eyed one?" said Jacob.

"I'll take it. I like dogs, no matter what weird colors they have," said Sam picking up his coffee cup.

"Sure your apartment manager will let a dog that big in? His paws are pretty big," said Jacob dubiously.

Sam rolled his eyes.

"We have to pay a hundred extra, plus damages. They also have to be house trained within the first three weeks of getting them and have their shots up to date. And they absolutely cannot start fights, especially for the larger breeds," Sam listed. He had checked shortly after coming back from that awful future.

There was no way he wasn't getting a dog to help with the trauma of that future. As long as he avoided dating Jess, he would need something to keep him occupied on lonely nights that wouldn't ask weird questions.

A dog was perfect.

"Alright. Want me to bring it over when it's weaned?"

"Sure. Is it a boy or girl by the way?"

"Boy."

Sam was relieved. If it had been a girl he would have had to get it fixed. He could deal with a boy dog much easier.

Sam took one look at his future puppy and fell immediately in love.

"So what are you gonna name the little guy?"

"Castiel," said Sam without hesitation.

The little puppy yawned with the same intense blue eyes that Cas had.

* * *

_Eight weeks later..._

"Say hi to your new bed buddy Sammy!" joked Jacob.

In his hands was the same puppy Sam had picked out months ago. Castiel the pup barked and started to squirm in Jake's hands. Sam picked up his new puppy and scratched his ears. The pup settled down. His tail had been clipped a few days after he was born, with the rest of his litter.

"So your Manager's okay with Cassy here being in the place right?"

"So long as he behaves and I house train him before the deadline we're good. There's another resident two doors on the left who brought his dog with him, and he's a mixed Rottweiler," said Sam.

"Well lucky for you Cassy is pretty quiet compared to his brothers and sisters. Little guy didn't even make a peep when he saw the other dogs at the vet, while the rest of them wouldn't shut up."

"That is a good thing," said Sam.

Cas yawned in Sam's large hands and curled up against him.

"I can see the two of you are going to be fast friends," said Jake grinning.

* * *

Sam was having an intense staring contest. With his dog. It was considered a source of entertainment for his few friends that visited that didn't mind Cas.

Jake found it both creepy (Cas had this weird thing about his eyes) and hilarious at the same time.

Finally one of them admitted defeat. To the amusement of his friends, that one was Sam.

"That is still hilarious," said Jake.

"At least Cas is good about going outside. You sure you didn't crate train him?" asked Sam.

"Nope."

Cas, as if hearing his name, barked. His tiny little tail wagged and he immediately went to get one of his toys.

Sam got into a tug-of-war game that he let the pup win. It wasn't often that the puppy wanted to play like that. Usually he acted like, well, Castiel. He was also a total bedhog.

"So how's little Cassy been for you Sam?" asked Terrance.

It had been his dog that Jake had breed his female Pepper with.

"He's awesome. And he's started to be able to keep up with me on my runs," said Sam.

Cas barked.

"I still don't get why you're so obsessed with running and martial arts," said Jake shaking his head.

It was something they put up with, next to Sam's weird book collection. As far as they were concerned, Sam was a closet Wiccan.

Sam never bothered to correct them.

"Well at least now he's got someone to do it with. I still don't get why you refuse to meet Jessica. She's a nice girl," said Jake shaking his head.

"I'm not ready for a girlfriend just yet," said Sam, repeating the same thing he told them last time.

Actually it was less to do with being 'ready' for someone in his life and more to do with the knowledge that anyone that came into his life while that demon was out there would likely end up very dead once Dean showed up.

At this point Sam was counting down the days. He still remembered vividly the date of Jessica's death the first time. When his life had come crashing down on him and he was forced to face the hard truth.

At least Cas he could take with him. He didn't care what Dean said, he was not leaving his not-even-a-year-old puppy behind just to take on a damn hunt.

Not if he wanted that deposit back at any rate.

"Whatever dude. If I didn't know for a fact you had the hots for that one chick in Greek Mythology 101, I would swear you were gay," said Terrance.

"That's you," said Sam rolling his eyes.

"Look at the bright side, at least Sammy isn't some boring closet shut in!"

Sam smirked.

"I have beer and Monopoly. Anyone up for a game?"

"Dibs on the dog!" said Jake immediately.

"I'll order the pizza!" said Terrance.

"If you order extra onions again we will be obligated to smother you with a pillow," warned Sam. Terrance and onions lead to the worst gas outside of the one time Sam had fed Cas tofu. He never ordered that off the menu again.

"Seconded!" shouted Jake.

Sam smirked when, after adding _actual_ cash in the Monopoly game (the five hundreds being replaced by favors on pieces of paper for later) he sounded defeated both his friends. Because he was well aware they had to pay for more than one rather calm pup, he let them keep whatever hundred dollar bills they had. The rest however was fair game.

That still meant he came out several hundred dollars ahead though.

* * *

_Cas, nine months old..._

Sam was half asleep with Cas snoring on his side when he heard something entering his apartment. Cas woke up instantly and started growling. Sam reached for his bat.

This was the day Dean came back into his life, so he had kept it close at hand.

"Cas, guard," said Sam quietly.

The dog was pretty well trained at that point, so he slunk off the bed and went to find the intruder.

Without warning the person who broke in curse as Cas tripped him deliberately, giving Sam all the time he needed to flip the idiot onto the floor and pin him in a way that made it hard to breath.

"Sam! It's...me!" coughed Dean. Cas barked, before he did something that had Sam grinning.

He slobbered all over Dean's face.

"GROSS!"

"Hey Dean," said Sam, before his grin widened, "I see you met Cas."

"Since when do you own a dog?"

"As of roughly seven months ago. Dean, this is Castiel. Cas, meet my brother Dean."

Cas barked.

"No girlfriend?" said Dean. He was almost disappointed.

"Most girls are put off by rottweilers Dean," said Sam rolling his eyes.

"Whatever. So how have you been Sammy?"

"Why are you here Dean?" asked Sam, already knowing why.

"Right to the point? Alright. I need your help."

It was almost nostalgic. Dean showing up needing his help with research. However he put his foot down when it came to his dog.

"We are not taking the dog," said Dean flatly.

"There is no way in _hell_ I am leaving him behind alone. Cas might be pretty quiet but I've never left him for more than a few hours before. And I would really like to keep my deposit," said Sam equally flat.

"Don't you have some friends to leave him with?" whined Dean.

Sam had a fit of inspiration.

"Tell you what. Beat Cas at a staring contest and I'll see if Jake can watch him for a few days," said Sam.

"A staring contest?"

"A staring contest," confirmed Sam. Inwardly he was cracking up. Dean was so impatient it was highly unlikely he would do something even Sam had trouble with on occasion.

"You're on."

"And to make it more interesting I bet you a hundred that Castiel beats you," said Sam grinning. Dean blinked, and realized he had been suckered somehow, but not knowing how.

An hour later, Dean was cursing up a storm as he realized that he had just been beaten by a dog. A _dog. _Sam was cracking up as he packed up everything he would need for Cas later.

He also forked over a hundred bucks, because he had honestly thought that he could handle a simple staring contest with a dog.

He hadn't counted on his brother cheating. Or that Sam had taught Castiel hand signals in place of vocal commands with some of the police cadets on the weekends. They were happy to teach him how to train Cas like a police dog when Sam expressed an interest...and donated a couple hundred to the local police Christmas fund.

Cas had beaten Dean by repeating his earlier performance. Dean had been so close he hadn't been able to avoid getting another lick to the face.

Sam had taken a quick picture before Dean got the slobber off.


	12. Redemption Chapter Two

Dean quickly discovered the downsides of having the dog in the car, aside from the obvious hair in his precious baby.

Castiel couldn't _stand_ Dean's offkey singing. Sam had become immune to it through din of being forced to listen to it for years...he could zone it out. However Cas would start howling like the damned until Sam turned off whatever cassette Dean was singing to and Dean shut up. Then he would give his owner a betrayed look like 'why would you force me to endure _that_?'.

Sam found it funny as hell, but Dean hadn't.

To which Sam's flippant reply was that Dean should be grateful that none of the places they usually went to eat served tofu.

Dean had looked rather grossed out at the idea of the fake meat for dinner, but wasn't surprised Sam had tried it once.

* * *

Any and all complaints about Sam's dog went right out the window the second he found out it was a trained _hunting_ dog. The White Lady that their father had left so abruptly to try and find the demon that killed their mother had actually backed away from Cas. The dog had growled rather menacingly and actually forced her to back off when she tried to strangle Sam in the car.

"Sammy?" said Dean once he was sure his car was alright from Sam ramming it into the house.

"Yeah Dean?"

"I take back any complaints about that dog," said Dean.

Sam chuckled.

"There's a reason I shelled out two hundred to the local police Christmas fund to have Cas fully trained," said Sam.

"So that's how you got him to lick me!" said Dean accusingly. Sam snorted, but did not deny it.

* * *

Sam was not looking forward to returning to his apartment. On the plus side, he didn't have to see his girlfriend pinned to the ceiling with fire destroying his apartment like the first time.

"Dammit Sammy, get this dog out of the car."

"Dean, just leave him be. It's not like you're leaving until tomorrow anyway," said Sam rolling his eyes.

Dean growled, but nothing he could do would move the fifty pound dog from his spot in the back seat. Every time he tried to pick the hound up, it would growl at him.

Sam usually just patted his lap and Cas would become an instant lap dog. He rarely if ever picked him up unless they needed to visit the vet.

Dean was annoyed, but it did give him an excuse to visit Sam before he left.

Sam sighed as he entered his apartment. Then his nose caught the scent of something that had him freezing in his tracks.

Sulfur.

He immediately grabbed his bat, which despite it's appearances had been covered in salt that had been dissolved in holy water and was made entirely of iron.

He was still trying to get holy oil, but it was a pain in the ass getting it through customs. At this point he was going to wait until he could get Bobby's help, since he couldn't find the recipe for the damn thing.

At least then he would be prepared to fry a couple of angels for the hell they had put him through and because most of them were just plain assholes. Lucifer being at the top of that list (though Zachariah made a very, very close second).

Sam went through each room, taking his time. Eventually he made it into the one that he had avoided for good reason.

His bedroom.

His eyes immediately went up to the ceiling. And his heart nearly stopped from shock.

Why the hell was _Jessica_ on the ceiling?! He had avoided her to avoid this damn scenario from the start!

The second his eyes saw her, the blaze started.

"Sam!"

Castiel was barking like mad, and they barely made it out of the apartment before the fire really took off.

"Sam, are you alright?" asked Dean. Cas was not leaving his owner's side.

"What was she doing in my apartment?!" said Sam, still in shock.

"What?"

"Why was she in my room? I made sure to lock the door before I left," said Sam, starting to calm down with Cas' calm presence.

"Sam Winchester? We would like a word with you," said the cop.

"Cas, stay," said Sam. Castiel whined, but he stayed put with Dean.

* * *

"Sorry we have to do this Sam. Where were you for the past two days?"

"My brother Dean came asking me out for help. I left a note on my door and even warned my friends I would be out for a few days before I left. Hell, I triple checked to make sure the stove and everything was turned off before we went!"

"Do you know Jessica Sanders?"

"Only vaguely. My friends had been trying for months to set me up with her, but I decided to get Cas instead," said Sam confused.

That was the one thing that bugged him the most. Why the _hell_ had Jessica been in his apartment? He had locked the door and all the windows.

"So you have no idea how Ms. Sanders got into your apartment, let alone why we had to pull her from the ceiling?" repeated the detective.

"I locked my apartment up and took Cas with me. I have no clue why she was even there when I never gave her a key to my apartment," said Sam.

"It says here that one Terrance Hayes has a key."

"Jake has one too, in case of an emergency so he can get Cas out," said Sam, wondering what that had to do with anything.

Another officer came in, and spoke in a low tone.

By all accounts Sam had been unavailable for three full days and had already warned his friends he would be out of town for at least four. And when the fire department finally put out the blaze, they were baffled to find that it started on the ceiling directly under where Jessica Sanders had been.

Eventually it was chalked up to an electrical fire, though they were just as baffled as to why she had been in Sam's apartment, or how she had been pinned to the ceiling.

Dean was waiting patiently with a rather twitchy Castiel the dog while Sam was interrogated by the cops. At least the dog was behaving.

"Well?"

"They haven't the faintest clue as to why the hell Jessica was in my apartment, let alone why the fire just _happened_ to start right where she was pinned. Fortunately because I was out of town and she didn't have a key I'm not being blamed. I don't know how the hell I'm going to get my deposit back now though," said Sam irritably.

"Why'd you have the bat with you?" asked Dean. That had been the first thing he noticed, right after he registered the soon-to-be dead chick on the ceiling.

"I smelled sulfur," muttered Sam.

"What?" said Dean sharply.

"I closed the door and immediately smelled rotten eggs. I knew the stove was off so I grabbed my iron bat instead. The bedroom was the last place I hit and that's when I saw her," said Sam. He was exhausted. This entire experience had been incredibly draining.

At least this time around he hadn't had to suffer the emotional trauma of seeing a girl he had been fully prepared to marry die. This time she was just another random victim of the crap he had to deal with because he was a hunter.

Maybe when the Witnesses rose again he would find out why she had been in his apartment when she never had a key to begin with.

* * *

Dean had been surprised when he found out Sam had already graduated college, but he had been debating on a second go, this time for a law degree. The interview he had was to determine if he could handle the strain of those extra years, since he had a bachelor degree in mythology.

After losing his apartment (and unfortunately the deposit, despite the fact that it had been proven he had nothing to do with the fire) Sam decided to return to traveling with Dean again. Just with a furry addition to the team.

However there was one thing that worried Dean that he had seen in Sam's bag.

"Sammy?"

"Hmm?"

"Why do you have prescription pills?" said Dean, holding up a bottle with Sam's name on it. It had a few refills left.

Sam winced. He had hoped Dean wouldn't notice those.

"It's just anti-depressants. And I never take them with alcohol," said Sam defensively.

Sam was not about to explain about his memories of being Lucifer's meat suit. He needed those pills to keep from going off the deep end and trying to change things too fast.

Having Castiel had helped a great deal as well. It gave him something to put his focus on rather than the knowledge of what was to come. Besides, the dog really reminded him of a canine Cas.

Castiel, the only angel he would ever trust, because had never held Sam's demon blood addiction against him personally. Sure he had that weird habit of getting into those intense staring contests with his brother, but Sam actually thought Cas would have been good for Dean.

"Sammy..." said Dean in a tone that gave Sam a bad feeling. Dean was definitely going to be like Cas on a bone now that he had found this.

"It's fine Dean. The biggest issue is refilling it once the prescription runs out," said Sam.

It had been hell getting it in the first place. He was not looking forward to getting that prescription without a stable home address.

At this point he was perfectly willing to use Bobby's house as his primary residence to keep that filled. The real problem was getting to the doctor's office long enough to keep Dean off his ass.

"What the hell has you so depressed that you need pills?" asked Dean finally. He had limited knowledge of prescriptions, but he knew enough that what Sam was on was some pretty strong stuff.

Sam refused to say what he needed them for. All he knew was that they made him less suicidal, and that combined with Cas' presence he was less likely to do something monumentally stupid.

Like trusting Ruby.

"You're not going to go all kamikaze on me, are you?" asked Dean suspiciously.

"That's what the pills and the dog are for," snorted Sam.

Dean had to do a doubletake at Sam's flippant reply. Mostly because Sam had just answered his unspoken question that something was bugging him so much he had to get medication to deal with it. Because of their history Dean chose to drop his next question, which was less of a question and more of a demand as to what the hell had happened to his brother to need that kind of help.

However it did make bearing with Castiel the dog's presence a little more easier knowing Sam did have a valid reason for owning such a large hound.

* * *

Zachariah was impatiently awaiting Castiel's report.

"Well?" he said, once the lower angel appeared.

"Aside from suddenly needing medication to deal with depression, and a fierce desire to avoid any human contact that would involve relationships shortly before my arrival, I saw nothing out of the ordinary," said Castiel calmly.

His vessel, which happened to be the same dog Sam had taken in, was currently sleeping off a massive dinner. He had been very surprised when Sam named the hound after him. However it was the absolute trust the man had towards his dog and the affection whenever he said the name 'Cas' that kept him from mentioning it to Zachariah.

Like Sam knew of him and had actual trust in him.

"Do I look like I care as to his relationships or mental state?" growled the seraph, "What else?"

"His studies were exclusively geared towards mythology and he has developed an interest in running and hand-to-hand combat," said Castiel. He wasn't sure what Zachariah was after.

"Enough! Clearly you're absolutely useless," snarled Zachariah.

Something was up with the youngest Winchester, and he was determined to find out what.

Castiel was dismissed, but rather than stick around in heaven, he opted to retrieve his sword from Barachiel instead. That accomplished, Castiel went back into his canine vessel rather than have to listen to Zachariah's complaining about how useless he was.

If he had to chose between staying in heaven with a bitchy seraph and spending more time with the Winchesters, he would chose Sam and Dean every time.


	13. Redemption Chapter Three

Dean's concerns about his brother only grew worse when he realized that the only thing keeping him from waking them both up from nightmares was the dog. He had gotten up to use the restroom and a few seconds later (courtesy of the light from the bathroom) realized Sam was having one _hell_ of a nightmare.

However, because Castiel clearly didn't care one whit about being used as a living teddy bear, Sam stayed asleep. It was a fitful sleep, but it was still considered sleep.

Dean knew it had to be bad because Sam had literally knocked his blanket on the floor. And last he checked, Sam had been snoring under the cover with the dog right next to him.

Dean was a good brother, so he picked up the blanket, made sure Sam was under it, and tried to see if he could coax his brother into sleep talking.

Sam didn't do it often, but whenever something was really bugging him, sometimes Dean could trick him into it.

If Sam had known about this habit, he would have gotten even more annoyed with Dean than he already was after they had a bit of an argument when Cas stole Dean's pie earlier.

Because Sam honestly missed Dean, he had gotten used to keeping pie in the fridge. However as a consequence Castiel had acquired a taste for the pastry.

To sum it up, Dean now had to guard his beloved pie from a _dog_.

* * *

Sam was not sleeping in his mind like Dean was assuming.

As a consequence of dealing with _Lucifer_ stealing his body for two years, he had learned how to go into a trance-like state that mimicked sleep enough that he was able to function. Having the dog next to him made keeping a point of reference of where he was easier when he came out of it.

So he was very aware that Dean was next to him and had covered him up. But he was baffled at why his brother thought he would tell him what he wanted to know while asleep.

That is until his mind flashed back to several instances where Dean had known what was bugging him when he was too stubborn to admit it.

Realization hit him like a lighting bolt.

Sleep talking.

He was so slipping laxatives in Dean's pie tomorrow. He wasn't going to get the truth that easily!

Dean finally gave up, but he did cast a sad look at his brother. He wanted to be there for Sammy, like he always had been, but Sam didn't want Dean to know of the burden he now had because of his own mistakes.

He could only hope that Dean would understand why he had done the things he would eventually have to do.

Like killing that bitch Ruby on sight.

* * *

It had been four months since that incident with the fire, and Dean was seriously starting to think there was something up about his brother.

It was still Sammy, he knew that without question, but it was like he had aged several years overnight and was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. It was one of the reasons Dean put up with the dog, despite all the hair and the pie stealing.

Sam really seemed to rely on the canine for emotional stability than he was willing to explain. And if having that dog kept him from snapping, then Dean would keep the dog around. He just wished his brother didn't need those pills as well as the dog.

However Dean definitely knew _something_ was up when his attempt to cajol his brother into that weird sleep talking habit not only failed, but got him pranked as a result. Sam had a particularly vindictive look in his eye when Dean saw him and he knew that he had been busted.

However it was an incident shortly before they were going to deal with a monster Dean had encountered in their childhood (and nearly lost Sam to) that really told him something was up.

Sam was half asleep in the Impala while Dean was driving down some abandoned road. Suddenly he went ramrod straight and Dean could see real fear in his eyes.

Dean pulled over the first chance he had and noticed Cas was alert to something as well.

"Sammy?"

"No...they shouldn't be here this early..." he said to himself, and Dean could see Sam was _reliving_ something. Something rather traumatizing.

Instead of reaching for his dog or the pills he took every once in a while, he opened the door and took out a large jug he had added to their arsenal last month.

He had seemed particularly relieved to have that on hand, and Dean never had the chance to ask what it was.

In his other hand was a box of matches.

"Sam, what's going on?"

Sam's eyes weren't on Dean. It was like he couldn't hear his brother at all.

Dean followed his brother's line of sight. Castiel started growling in a way he only ever did when something really nasty was around.

There was a man on the road. He looked perfectly ordinary, except Dean wasn't fooled for a minute. Sam had some seriously well developed instincts, despite being out of the game for several years. And Castiel was one hell of a Hunter's dog.

If they were wary of him, then there was no chance Dean was letting his guard down until he had reason otherwise.

"Sam Winchester. Zachariah has a bounty on your head," said the man boredly. Like he didn't perceive Sam as a threat. Castiel clambered out of the open door and growled menacingly.

The man looked...amused? How can someone be so amused by a dog about to rip their throat out?!

"So this is where you took off too Castiel. Zachariah wasn't pleased by you failure," said the man.

Sam blinked, then spared a look at his dog.

"Cas?"

The dog showed no signs of acknowledging Sam's quiet question. Instead it's eyes seemed to glow with some form of internal light. If it wasn't for the fact Sam seemed perfectly at ease with his dog, Dean would have shot it already.

"You might as well surrender now Winchester."

"Tell that asshole Zachariah I don't give a shit about Heaven's so called plan. He can take Micheal's sword and shove it up his ass to join the bullshit he enjoys spewing so much," snarled Sam. He then did something that had the man looking at him with horror.

He threw the contents of the jug on him and showed the match in his hand.

At first the man's amusement was clear...until he seemed to recognize what was on him.

"I have matches and I'm not afraid to deep fry your sorry ass," said Sam with such a matter-of-fact tone that it sent shivers down Dean's spine.

"You win this round Winchester, but I'm not going to be the last. We will find out what you did," snarled the man.

He vanished with a sound akin to wings. Dean was utterly confused and somewhat worried for his brother.

Sam replaced the container in the back and let Cas into the back seat before he got back in. He looked utterly exhausted after that.

"Sammy? What the hell?"

"Not now Dean. Can we just leave before more of those assholes show up?" asked Sam tiredly.

"Only on the condition you explain what the _hell_ is going on. You've changed and I want to know why," said Dean flatly.

"Only if I get black out drunk after," said Sam equally flat. The pills weren't going to help, and he wanted answers of his own.

Like why the hell Zachariah had known something had changed enough to send _Castiel_ after him. He had always suspected something was different about his dog.

Normal dogs do _not_ get into the same staring contests he had seen Cas do with Dean on occasion.

* * *

Dean bought some strong liquor and made sure the room was secure. He wasn't expecting Sam to immediately add to it with runes he didn't recognize.

"Start talking Sam," said Dean after his brother had drained the first bottle without pausing.

"Where do you want me to start?" he said flippantly.

"How about what's up with the dog?"

That glowing eye thing still freaked him out.

"Actually I want to know that myself. I didn't know Cas could take over an animal instead of a willing volunteer," said Sam equally confused.

The dog chuffed. Sam felt something cautiously poke in his head, and he let the dog take the picture of Castiel from his memories. However it seemed that Castiel wasn't able to do a proper switch from dog to human.

Dean stared at the half-man, half dog. Sam just snorted in open amusement.

"Botch the transformation Cas?"

"I was unaware you knew of me from before," said Castiel.

"So was the dog a stillborn or what?"

"Certain animals have the proper bloodline to handle us. This dog was just the best one suited for me. However the fact you named it after me did catch me off guard," admitted Castiel.

"Puppy Cas," said Sam, slightly drunk, "So did that asshole Zachariah send you to figure out what was going on?"

"He sensed something had changed with you, and I was the first one he found available."

"Will _someone_ explain what the hell is going on?!"

Sam was sufficiently drunk enough by that point to tell his brother flatly the general gist.

"In short? Heaven and Hell want Lucifer out of the pit and to restart the damn fight between him and Micheal here on Earth. With _us_ as the starring roles," said Sam.

"What?" said Castiel and Dean at the same time.

Sam snorted. He was two for two in surprising people.

"Zachariah is only interested in us because we happen to be the unluckiest bastards on the planet. He just doesn't want any complications to the fact that they want the Apocalypse to start and for us to 'fulfill our roles' according to that monumental asshole. I wasn't expecting him to send Cas though," said Sam.

"I am curious as to how you knew of me. I'm not exactly one of the more well known..." started Castiel.

"You dragged Dean out of hell, and acted as our go between for the Host. You were easily the only tolerable one of the Host that we've dealt with. And I mean that sincerely. Probably why I didn't react to your presence in the dog," muttered Sam.

"What is this Host? A Host of demons?" asked Dean.

Castiel and Sam had some clue what was going on, but Dean was way in over his head. Though Castiel looked highly offended Dean had equated him to a demon so fast.

"Try something a little more arrogant and harder to kill than a demon. Demons are easier to deal with than the damn Host," said Sam flatly.

"Okay, what was that crap you threw on that guy?"

"Holy oil. You have _no_ idea what a bitch it was finding the recipe and incantation to make that. It was either throw it on him or try to make a ring and force him to stay put. Frankly I'm more in favor of frying their ass," said Sam.

"I am curious as to how you knew about this," said Castiel.

"You can read memories right?"

"With permission, yes."

"Then read mine. It's bad enough I have to tell Dean the bare bones of what's happening. I'm not telling him the rest if I can help it," said Sam flatly.

Castiel put his hand on Sam's head...and a few seconds retracted it almost as if he had been burned.

"I was unaware..."

"Dean does not need to know," said Sam. Castiel nodded in agreement.

This was something that would only worry Dean unnecessarily.

"Alright, one of you two start talking. What the hell is that guy and why are we being targeted specifically?!"

"Castiel is an angel. A real one. As for why were targeted, I've never figured that out. All I know is that heaven is so vested in insuring we were born that the manipulated our parents into falling for each other and even insured Mom would make a deal so that yellow-eyes would be able to enter our house that night."

"Angels don't exist," said Dean immediately.

Castiel shared a look with Sam. Sam shrugged.

Dean's jaw dropped when he saw the silhouette of wings behind the half-dog man.

"So what, heaven is out to get us too?"

"Pretty much. Only they shouldn't be moving this early. Last time it wasn't until you accidentally broke the first seal on Lucifer's cage that they actually got fully involved."

"How do you know about this Sammy?" asked Dean. That was what bothered him most. Like how the hell he knew Castiel when he had been so surprised to find him in his dog.

"Because I lived through it once, and I'd sooner jump naked into hell before I let it happen the same way twice," said Sam with such conviction that Dean knew he was being dead serious, despite the fact he was currently drunk off his ass.

"After seeing how things will turn out if I continue to follow Zachariah's lead, I will do what I can. But it would be inadvisable for me to take this form too often. It strains the dog's body," said Castiel apologetically.

"I get that. I was just surprised you were able to borrow his body to begin with, though that does explain how you kept beating me at those staring contests," said Sam. He looked like he was ready to crash.

Dean realized he wasn't getting much more from his brother, so he maneuvered the taller man onto the bed where he promptly fell asleep with a loud snore.

Castiel turned back into the large dog he had been and laid next to him.

Dean looked at the beer and started drinking. Things has just gotten infinitely more complicated.


	14. Legion of Tricksters Chapter One

**Summary: _Gabriel always was the favorite after Lucifer fell. Even the other gods had liked him, despite the fact he was a jerk. So when Lucifer decides to kill him with his own blade, God decided he couldn't let his favorite die without giving him a second chance. Now he's stuck trying to live through a second apocalypse, and this time Micheal is the rebel on the side of the humans._**

* * *

Gabriel woke up in some no name area of Los Angeles, the City of Angels. What a bad joke that was.

He took stock of what he could and couldn't do.

Angel sword, check. Wings, check. Clothes, check. Trickster powers...nope. Grace, check. Knowledge of Enochian, check. Gun...since when did he have a gun?

Gabriel looked around him and finally found some dilapidated wreck on the side of the road. Cleaning off the seat, he found that it still worked. He turned it over and started driving to anywhere.

His gut told him Arizona, for some reason, so that was the way he went.

He was about out of the city when he felt the explosion of Grace nearby, and decided to check it out.

He got there in time to find a fellow arch angel cutting off his own wings voluntarily. He was so shocked that he almost didn't know how to react.

He got out of the car and followed the guy in confusion. The other angel seemed to know he was being followed, but clearly didn't know by who.

Seeing him break into a toy store that had guns in the back, he decided to make his presence known.

"You know there are easier ways to get a gun," he said bored.

The man whirled around, enchanted knife in hand. It had Enochian sigils all over it and gave Gabriel a bad feeling. It was almost on par with his sword, and something said being stuck by it would hurt like a bitch.

"Who are you?"

"Another angel. What the hell is going on that an arch would cut off his own wings voluntarily?" he asked.

The other angel stared at him.

"What are your orders?" he asked.

"Orders? You're kidding right? I left heaven because I was sick of all the damn infighting. I don't follow anyone's orders other than my own whims, and He knows that," said Gabriel irritated.

The other man seemed to relax, only slightly.

"I don't have much time."

"Why do you need guns for anyway?"

"To protect the unborn child. He has lost faith and sent the order to kill the woman and the child that is to be born. If I can't stop the others, then mankind will be destroyed,"said the other.

"And you need guns for this why?" asked Gabriel again.

He gave Gabriel an annoyed look.

"I can't disobey His orders, not with my powers. I either fight like a human, or I fall."

"Which one are you anyway?" asked Gabriel, grabbing a few guns himself. Might as well help the guy out if he was doing it to protect the humans.

"Micheal."

Gabriel choked in shock. _This_ was Micheal?! How the hell did he _not_ recognize his older brother?

"Call me Gabe," he said finally, shouldering two duffel bags full of guns, among other things.

Micheal blew open the door, and made the hole look like a burning cross. Gabe winced when he saw the other cop who had arrived just in time to find the mess get forcefully possessed by an angel. His eyes narrowed though...why did his eyes turn black like that?

Gabe focused on the possessed cop, looking at his eyes and teeth.

"This isn't an angel. Not anymore. Looks more like a demon possession," he said frowning.

"It's an angel. I doubt Lucifer would bother to steal a human's form this late in the game," said Micheal.

"You'd be surprised. The bastard is a total asshole," said Gabriel. He had killed his baby brother without a second thought after all.

Gabriel was about to get in the cop car Micheal 'commandeered' when he found a book on the sidewalk. It was odd because the book looked relatively dry and it had been raining for over an hour. Picking it up, his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

It was a copy of John Winchester's infamous journal...and it included some of the new things Sam and Dean had added since the man's death. Pocketing it with his sword, Gabriel got into the car. Micheal seemed to understand that Gabe wasn't going to leave him alone without some answers first...or he recognized that Gabe was like him.

It was going to be a long couple of days.

* * *

Gabe woke up when he sensed the death of another angel. Despite not being in heaven for a couple of centuries, he always felt the death of one of his own.

"How long was I out?"

"Six hours," said Micheal bluntly. He wasn't one for small talk, and didn't seem to care that Gabe had fallen asleep shortly before the sun had risen.

Seeing them pass a sign, Gabe wondered where the hell they were heading.

"Where are we?"

"Arizona."

Gabe's eyes shot open in surprise. Did this idiot even bother to stop for gas? He was worse than Dean was!

Gabe went to fiddle with the radio, only to find all the stations dead. Micheal seemed somewhat annoyed by his boredom, so Gabe had to settle for humming a tune he had heard once. It seemed to make the angel-turned-human twitch in irritation.

"Will you stop that incessant humming?" demanded Micheal.

"Why?" smirked Gabe.

Micheal grit his teeth in irritation. What was wrong with this angel? He was more human than he should be! Gabe went back to humming, glad he had the chance to annoy Micheal of all angels. Too bad it wasn't Lucifer, or he would really be enjoying this.

Micheal looked ready to shoot him, or at least stop the car and stab him when they finally reached wherever the hell he was trying to get to.

The humans came out, one with a gun. Gabe scrunched his nose at the scent of dead angel vessel. He saw an old lady in plastic on the ground and realized she was the cause.

"Show me them teeth!" barked the man with the gun.

Gabe raised an eyebrow but smiled with his teeth showing. What was up with these people that they demanded to see his teeth?

While Micheal spoke to the humans, Gabe wandered over to the old lady. She had been dead for nearly a day at least, and he saw black eyes. Seeing the blood around her mouth and the shark teeth, suddenly the odd order made a hell of a lot more sense.

Sensing Micheal's annoyance with him, he grabbed the bags and went inside. He looked at the man who had the gun and asked him if he had anything sweet. The guy stared at him before he handed him a warm soda. Gabe grimaced at the fact it wasn't cold, but didn't complain much.

He later found some candy in the fridge and swiped a few bars. Seeing the look of increased irritation on Micheal's face, he flipped him off.

He wasn't giving up his sweets to avoid offending this ass.

* * *

"Alright, what the hell is going on here?" demanded the old soldier, who's name was Percy.

"Angels. God has lost faith in humans, and has ordered them to kill her and the child. Once that happens, humanity is doomed," said Micheal.

"Yeah right. If they're angels then I'm not also called Loki," said Gabe flatly.

Seeing the look they shot him, he explained.

"Angels do not take unwilling vessels. They have to get permission from the humans first. And they sure as hell don't have the same black eyes that demons get when possessing people...or those weird ass shark teeth."

Micheal shot him a look.

"Who are you anyway? I know you're an angel, but you still have your grace," he demanded.

"Gabriel. And no, I'm not showing my wings in front of the humans, unless you want the baby-mama you're so damn uptight about to have her eyes burned out. I don't even know how the hell I ended up in Los Angeles to begin with, since the last thing that I remember was going up against that asshole Lucifer in some no-name motel," said Gabe.

"You can't be Gabriel. He was against me coming down here...and Lucifer is still in the pit."

"Not from where I'm from he isn't. And judging by the fact that these so-called angels are taking people by force, I'd have to say this is some kind of joke from God," said Gabe.

Micheal gave him a strange look, before he went back to the matter at hand.

Gabe left the room and decided to go to the roof. Being stuck around Captain Stick-up-his-ass wasn't his idea of fun.

He bit into his stolen chocolate bar. It was half melted and wasn't even that good, but it was better than nothing.

Something about this stunk to Gabriel. Like a half-forgotten memory. This entire situation felt way too damn familiar to his tastes, but he couldn't figure out why. He took the gun that was handed to him by the others, lead up by Micheal.

He didn't know why he was in this mess, but he sure as hell wasn't dying twice without figuring out what was going on.

* * *

Gabe took one look at the weird double-jointed ice cream truck driver, and he swore.

No wonder this whole thing was so damn familiar...he had seen this movie before and had thought it both insulting and amusing.

Mostly because they had Gabriel as the bad guy and Micheal as the one to cut off his wings to save the girl he couldn't care less about.

Like Micheal would ever cut off his Grace just to save humans. It would have been more likely that _Gabriel_ would do it just to spite his brother, and because he actually liked them more than he did his own kind.

Besides, they had the whole thing reversed. Angels couldn't take unwilling hosts, but demons could and the whole black-eye thing was more in line with them. He couldn't believe whoever wrote this crap had gotten that part so blatantly wrong.

Seeing the double line of cars heading their way, Gabriel realized that they were totally outmatched.

There was no way he was letting them win. Not after seeing that little girl possessed.

He grabbed a clean knife and cut into his hand having left the roof and gone back down. The girl and the others downstairs looked at him like he was crazy for tracing something on the wall in his blood...but the second he slammed his bloody hand on the weird glyphs he had drawn, they understood.

The angels within range of the effect were effectively blasted out of their vessels, causing a domino effect of cars crashing into one another as the dead bodies kept them going. There was an effective barricade cutting off both halves of the road from the mess.

Suddenly the guns stopped altogether, and they came down.

"What did you do?" demanded Micheal. He had felt the power behind the angel banishing sigils, but didn't know what had happened to make all the cars crash like that.

Gabe leaned heavily against the wall. It had taken everything he had not to be sent off with the rest of those fakes.

Micheal saw the Enochian writing and the bloody hand.

"Oh my god...you're bleeding!" said Charlie.

"I'll be fine. It'll be harder for them to get around that barricade and it will be even longer before they can show up."

"What was that?" asked Jeep.

"Angel banishing spell. Has to be written in blood, otherwise it won't work. I'm just lucky that I wasn't sent off with the rest of those fakes," said Gabriel. He got up and washed off his hand, before deftly bandaging it.

"Fakes?"

"Demons have black eyes and can take unwilling hosts. Angels have to ask and get permission first. Even Lucifer had to get permission in order to gain a vessel," said Gabe.

He went to find a place to nap, because he was starting to get into a really foul mood and whenever that happened things got unpleasant. Like a never-ending day unpleasant.

By the time his migraine left, Gabriel was more in the mood to strangle Micheal. Commander of the Host or not, this guy was seriously pissing him off. He didn't even have the decency to knock out the hysterical mother, who would get them killed trying to rescue her ass.

Even Castiel could have done that much after he was cut off from Heaven!

Stealing another chocolate bar (they had several boxes in the fridge) Gabriel leaned against the roof.


End file.
